


Danger Days

by hisironicprincess



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-30 08:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 192,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3930166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hisironicprincess/pseuds/hisironicprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>California desert 2019. The nuclear war leveled most of the world, and now only a few cities remain. The center of America is now Battery City, ruled over by Better Living Industries, the inhabitants are kept in line by use of emotion numbing pills. </p><p>Enter the Killjoys, colorful wild rebels who want nothing more than to take down Bli/nd and reveal them for what they are. Criminals, slandered by the media, the outcasts of Battery City’s surrounding Zones rage the war against evil while fighting for their own lives. Constantly hunted by their enemies, they can’t risk being fooled by child’s play, every corner seems to spell death, especially for the Fabulous Four. But when fate encounters their lives and their previous rules shatter, change sweeps in threatening to tear them apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Hell

A raven-haired man sat weakly doubled over. A corpse lay by his form, and the dark-haired man shook violently. Vomit ran past his dry lips, mixing in with the heated sand. Fuck, when was I hit? The sweat and dirt were stinging his eyes, and he gagged once more. The fabric covering his belly and right arm was smoking from the burn of the blasts. He’d hardly had time to register the pain during the fight, but then it was over and he was sinking into the sand and sicking up. His arms shook violently and he glanced to the side as he faintly felt a hand tugging on his vest. His dark eyes looked up to see a familiar man standing above him, his helmet reflecting the sun’s rays. As much as Ghoul needed to be treated, at that moment, getting away was more crucial. 

Two large men, both in helmets, hurried over to help the smaller man to his feet. The one in bright red winced at the acids and partially digested food being absorbed by the sand. Hoisting Ghoul’s weight on their shoulders, they rushed to the vintage car. They slid his pitiful form into the back seat and both hurried inside. The final member of the group joined them soon after, his red hair and bright yellow mask unmistakable even through the sand flying around as if it were the first heavy snow in the Midwest long ago. 

“Where’d he get hit?” the last arrival barked to the other men as he put his car into drive. The engine purred like a familiar animal, jolting to life as they took off speeding over the sands. The air was thick, tense, as he focused on the road, and he could faintly hear zippers being pulled and the muted sound of fabric being brushed off of flesh. God dammit Ghoul, I swear if you shit out on me…I’ll fucking kill you.Keeping his glare harsh as he looked to the road, he refused to think about how bad it was, that his best friend was lying there and could die at any moment. No, he had to keep a lookout for any approaching cars, or—worse yet—any ongoing raids.

Once his helmet was removed, the blond man known as Kobra Kid frowned at the wounded man before him. When the clothing was tugged off, blonde brows met, as the burns were fairly deep. With one quick motion the man grabbed his flask and poured the cooling liquid over the wounds. He looked up and met the tallest man’s gaze with a frown, watching Jet pull a small first aid kit from the side of the door. After a moment, Jet frowned as well. Half of this shit is used up! Tommy better not have screwed us over! Opening up the cracked eggshell box, Jet rummaged around, finding a needle and some thread, some old used up gauze, and a few bandages. Another frown found its way onto his wide lips. Removing his helmet, he looked to the box again—it was just full of shit! Goddamn it! Releasing a few swears under his breath, he began throwing things out of the container until finally he found a half-used bottle of burn ointment. The man sighed and handed the tube to Kobra. The blonde took it quickly, squeezing a large cream-colored blob out on his palm. Wasting no time, he applied the potion to the inked man’s stomach.

Ghoul let out a small hiss as the cool concoction touched his bare, sweaty skin. The sensation of the potion against his own burned flesh was as painful as sitting on a cactus then deciding to roll around in a bag of salt. Despite it all, the man merely gritted his teeth and suffered through it. While the guys wouldn’t say anything at that moment, he knew any tears spent would lead to mocking later on. No problem, not a problem. I can handle this, I’m the mother fuckin’ Fun Ghoul, nothing’s gonna bring me down. Feeling another wince coming on as the cream was rubbed onto his arm, his entire body tensed up. He could faintly register yelling between the two men above him; however, his vision was growing blurry from the pain. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes before they shut, his normally tanned face becoming a sickly shade of white.

“Goddamn, he’s out.” Kobra tugged at his blonde hair, ignoring his brother’s earlier question. Come on, you dirty bastard, don’t you dare give out on me. The man swore as he did his best to wrap Ghoul’s wounds with the clean side of the gauze. Focusing on the task, he could hardly feel the change in the motions of the car as it moved from sand to pavement after making a sharp right. He cursed himself as the gauze came loose. He motioned for Jet to lift Ghoul up and sighed in relief, since this made his task much easier. With a clockwise motion and a quick line of stitches, the wrap was made to hold on tightly. Poison’s question was the furthest thing from his mind until he looked up. In the rearview mirror his brother’s eyes were burning back at him, not only with worry, but also with a searing rage that made his flesh crawl. Letting a small shiver pass up his spine, he shook his head. This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening.

“Got blasted in the lower stomach and pretty bad on his right bicep. He’s out now, but it’s pretty bad. He puked a shitton up and that’s gonna be a bitch to handle later. He lost some color and I think he might be sick, we need to get him somewhere to rest…” His voice trailed off into a growl, mind racing for nearby houses, towns—anywhere they could stop, rest, and get the proper medical treatment this man clearly needed. They sure as hell wouldn’t find that out here. 

“And where do you propose we stop?” Jet cut in with a snarl. Despite his normal cool demeanor, when stress came along it was like someone flipped a switch in his brain. The guys often joked about it, though sometimes it could frighten them. It’s like what was said: it’s always the quiet ones. “We can’t get to the fucking diner from ‘ere and the station is even further away! Do you wanna stop at some wave-head town in the middle of nowhere and deal with that?!”

The younger man shot him a heavy glare. “And what would you rather do?! You want to pull over and get him what he needs here?! Oh wait, there’s just so much water I don’t know what to do with it!” Goddammit, Jet. This is not the time to be a girl about your shit.

“Both of you shut the fucking hell up before I kick you out of the car and let you handle the heat,” Poison snarled, using his 'I’m-the-boss-so-you’d-better-listen-to-me’ tone. Or, as Kobra liked to call it, the 'you’d-better-fucking-knock-this-shit-off-or-I’ll-shove-my-blaster-so-far-up-your-ass-you-won’t-take-a-crap-for-two-months’ tone. After shooting them both a strong glare, Poison shot his gaze back to the road. “Do something useful and keep an eye out. We’re going to find the closest town and get supplies. We’ll also stay there until Ghoul is as well as he needs to be to go out on runs. Till then I expect you two to pick up the slack his absence is gonna make.” With that last growl, silence fell over the car, particularly the back seat. There was no point arguing once Poison announced his final decision.

Driving through the desert was unpleasant in itself. Nothing here but dust and air. Alert as they were, and with the stress of the situation, they almost felt sick. This couldn’t happen, they couldn’t lose one of their own. Especially such a strong fighter. Jet swallowed thickly from the humidity in the Trans, rolling down his window. Hot air hit him straight in the face, but it helped with the moisture in the car. His eyes stung from the bits of rock and sand flying at him, and with a swallow he squinted his eyes heavily. The orbs scanned for any break at all on the horizon. They widened slightly, seeing a formation of buildings in the distance.

“There!” he called out, gagging as a decent sized rock went into his mouth. Spitting it out the window, he winced yet again as his own spit hit him in his dust covered face. “To the right!” he added as the Trans’ engine was spurred into a growl, the car rushing for that massive group of buildings.

Don’t be a warehouse, don’t be a warehouse. Poison’s eyes narrowed as he focused on keeping the engine roaring. He had to reach it! Every second they wasted could be Ghoul’s last moments! Swearing softly to himself, he rushed into the town, nearly knocking over a sign perched on the right side of the road. Closing his eyes as a chunk of wood went flying, he managed to open them again to a squint, not even looking at the surroundings or people. It could’ve been a Draculoid colony for all he knew in that moment. I gotta get someone, gotta stop, this isn’t happening. Poison swerved heavily, almost drifting as the car swung to a stop right in front of one of the buildings. The Trans let out a little lurch of protest as it handled the move, but showed no other signs of the strain of the stunt. As always, the car could handle anything and still look as smooth as a great pair of tits. 

Hopping out, the redhead almost didn’t remember his car keys, making a jerking motion at the last moment to grab them and slipping the ring around his middle finger, catching it on the dirtied brown cloth of his overworked right glove. Jogging as fast as he could, he found himself panting and out of breath by the time he reached someone. “I need a room…” he managed through gasps. He was feeling woozy from the fight and the stress, not to mention the lack of water. “My teammate… wounded, we need water and…” he gasped, his entire form rising and falling as he tried to get the words out. Vision blurring slightly, he shook his head, focusing back on the task at hand. Seeing he was speaking to an old woman who appeared to be of Mexican descent, he started over slower, blinking a few times before he continued. “I need a room.” His voice was smoother this time, and he sounded more like himself. “My teammate was badly wounded and we are in dire need of water… get us these things straight away.” Despite the more pleasing sound of his voice, there was still the ordering tone of a commander in battle.

The woman went pale as Jet and Kobra brought in Ghoul’s damaged body. In a flurry of broken English, she slipped out, “I’m Mrs. Palafox—get your friend up to room, how you say…” She paused on the word, unsure of the translation, before the flurry began again. “Up the stairs and to your right, four doors down.” She shooed them with a flick of her wrists and the throw of a key, and then she began to dart around to collect water for the men. She looked up only seconds later to see all four men gone and to hear the faint sound of footsteps rushing up the old staircase.

As soon as the key was placed into Poison’s hand he took off like a shot. He had to get the door open before anyone else could get there—if Ghoul had to wait another second to be laid down… he shuddered at the thought. Taking the stairs two at a time, it still took him a good five minutes to reach the top. It must’ve been hell for the two carrying the youngest man. Hand shaking, he managed to jab the key into the hold and began turning it. Unfortunately, it seemed the lock was stuck, and with a long drawn out group of swears he jammed the key in deeper and used his foot to balance himself. A few wild jerks later he managed to get the door open with a unwilling creak. Turning to check over his shoulder, he frowned, seeing the others weren’t up yet. One hopping motion later he was racing back down those godforsaken stairs, and nearly crashed into the three coming up.

Jet had Ghoul slung over his shoulder as one would carry a sack of potatoes or a child in jest. Kobra was busy checking the man’s pulse. Losing balance as Jet made a motion to steady himself from Poison’s onslaught, he frowned. The doorway to the second level loomed above them as they took off with the best speed they could. Nearly tripping twice, Kobra brought up the rear, helping to lay down the man in ripped clothes. 

Jet seemed ready to collapse, but jumped up to head downstairs to check on that water. Approaching the bottom of the staircase, he saw the woman who had given them the key, two buckets of water slung over her back as if she were a Chinese merchant heading to sell a heavy product. With a gracious nod of thanks Jet-Star grabbed both of the pails and hurried back up the stairs, doing his best not to spill any of the sloshing liquid in his containers. His legs were almost ready to give out as he reached the top of the stairwell and did an odd sliding motion, crinkling the mauve rug under his feet.

Kobra had undone the bandages while they waited, Poison lurking worried at the foot of the bed all the while. A deep red wound had become visible at the center of each burn. Thick with newly forming scabs and oozing yellow pus, they were a sickening sight. Some trickles of blood would force their way out and pool near his navel every time the man took a breath. The burn on his arm was more shallow, but the flesh surrounding it was an angry red and farther spread. A sigh of relief found its way out of Kobra upon seeing Jet. One of the buckets was quickly taken and a rag soon dipped into the clear liquid. This pail would be used to clean the abrasions and help cool Ghoul’s pale sweating form. Kobra hoped that doing so would wake Ghoul so that he could be helped with drinking the second. 

The pus and scab rubbed off as Kobra tried to remove any dirt and sand around the afflicted area. As the team’s medic, he was used to seeing this, and hearing Poison gag would have normally brought a chuckle out of his lips. But considering the dire situation, he was nowhere near smiling, let alone laughing. Once the task was completed he took the remaining water to soak the brightly-colored handkerchief as best he could, and Jet lifted the bucket to help as the water was poured down the man’s pale, slender body.

Kobra’s brows furrowed at the task of keeping the liquid from dripping off Ghoul’s body. Kobra started at the neck and headed down, then came back up to wipe the sweat, dirt and blood flecks from the face.

Ghoul let out a tiny moan as the cool water dripped down his form, thick lashes parting to reveal hazel irises. Vision was something his eyes were striving for but hardly reaching. A few squints later he made out Kobra’s hand. He knew it was Kobra’s from length and shape. Just seeing that made his body let go of a bit of tension. His team was there, at least, and from the pain flooding his body he could assume he wasn’t dusted, lying out in some dip in the sand. The wounded man let out a sigh, and an ounce of anxiety seemed to be lifted from the room.

Tugging his jacket off, Kobra took his flask to fill it with the unsoiled water and pressed it to Ghoul’s lips. “Drink,” he commanded, with the authority of an ER doctor who had been scared out of his mind. Tilting it back, he watched as Ghoul’s adam’s apple bobbed back and forth quickly as he gratefully accepted the heaven-sent drink. Once the flask was emptied, Kobra headed for more, repeating the motions with similar effects. After the sixth flask, Ghoul weakly pulled back with a wordless moan.

Slumping onto the bed behind Ghoul’s, Kobra took a moment to drink in his surroundings. Poison was still standing, seemingly in shock, and staring at the man who was weakly panting. Ghoul himself looked horrible, his cheeks stained a deep red, though the rest of his body still had that waxy lemon tint. His chest moved slowly and painfully with every unwilling breath it accepted, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. From his position, Kobra observed that Ghoul was still fighting pain, and he made a mental note to try to get ahold of an herbal remedy for the pain. Cursing himself mentally for not having anything on hand at that moment, his eyes soon jumped to the other dark-haired man now slumped against the wall. It seemed his legs had finally given in to exhaustion and he’d just collapsed against the structure.

Running his hands through his dark curly hair, Jet looked like a shaking mess—not that anyone could blame him. The threat of losing a teammate was terrifying. Lifting his head and seeing a broken mirror on the other side of the room, the man’s eyes met his own reflection and widened slightly from the sight. He was shaking violently himself, his features gone as white as Battery City. His sweat caused dark brown drips to descend from his hairline, painting his face as if he were an overly-zealous Alice Cooper fan. Swallowing, his eyes focused on how the man in the mirror’s throat moved with his. Looking to hands, he could see the shaking better. It was as if he were a cell phone set on vibrate.

Resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands, Kobra looked up when his brother finally moved, first uncertainly sitting by the weak man, then standing once more. Poison seemed to be experiencing the most shock, and yet he also looked numbed. Perhaps for the moment that was kinder; however, Kobra frowned at the thought, since that would be similar to condoning exactly what Better Living was doing to the masses at this very moment! His lips parted as if to speak, but quickly snapped shut as his brother took a decisive step, then soon stomped out the door, his footsteps echoing as he headed down the stairwell.

Poison finally took a deep breath in, the action filling him with a mix of cooling relief and utter despair. His best friend could have died just then. The thought sat in his stomach like a rock at the bottom of a pool of water. Thickly swallowing, the red-haired man took a moment to take in his surroundings. The old stairwell’s walls were a musty yellow-brown, cracked with age and lack of care. A border of torn wallpaper surrounded the wall pushing against the ceiling. The wallpaper was peeling and falling apart, the square designs within it warped into odd ovals and nameless shapes. Hand resting on the banister, he jumped slightly as the old barrier swayed. It was flimsier than he’d anticipated. A shudder crept up his back as he thought what could have happened if Ghoul had been set on there. Shaking it off, he continued his descent to the lower floor.

The old woman stood there timidly. Her winkled hands wrung a dirty washcloth. At one time it was probably white, but it was now dingy, covered with patches of grey and brown. Poison watched her hands, noticing that her knuckles were warped. He winced slightly. Probably arthritis. Probably why so much of this place was a dump. His eyes darted from the slightly gruesome scene to the room surrounding him. Everything within the walls seemed to have a thick coat of dirt and dust. Probably hadn’t been cleaned in weeks, at the least. A mirror sitting over an oddly-colored coffee table was thick with spiderwebs, or so he thought. A few blinks revealed them to be cracks, with a few drops of dried blood at the center. Someone must have punched it, he thought. At second glance Poison realized the color from the coffee table wasn’t natural, because it had bleached spots as if set out in the sun. Perhaps an outdoor table? Another thick swallow came on. The ability to take in his surroundings quickly came fairly naturally to him, but was hyped up due to life on the run. Survey, decide, overcome, survive. That seemed to be how life out here was. He didn’t even notice the elderly woman move from standing by the old desk to sitting on one of the dusty couches. Only the faint sound of coughing made him realize she was even still in the room. How long had he been looking around? A red tint covered his cheeks, but he shook the feeling off, dismissing it as a reaction to the heat.

“Your friend,” came her old, accented voice. “He is okay, yes?” She arched a thick, dark brow. There were undertones of black not only in her hair but also in her brows. She had a proud chin and defined cheekbones—a mix of Native American and Mexican? Thick lines surrounded her mouth. She not only gave off a sense of pain and worry, but also an age-old wisdom, one that came from a grandmother who’d learned enough to change her, experienced enough tragedy that she feared for anyone in her path. The silence stretched on for a few minutes before her thickly-accented voice carried on, “I know who you and your friends are…”

A tremor went up his spine. Thankful that his mask was still on, he contemplated a response, feeling the color drain from his face. Jet and Kobra… even Ghoul… they didn’t have masks on. If this place had surveillance… which he doubted, considering the age and condition of the hotel, but… if it did, she could turn them in to BLI… at least, she could turn in their full images. His blood ran cold at the thought. A confirmed killjoy sighting would put Better Living in an uproar. Before he could respond, the same raspy voice spoke again.

“Do not give me such a look, young one,” she scolded, gently shaking her head, her dark eyelids shutting over her brown eyes. It was almost a sad, pitying action. Poison’s blood ran colder. This woman pitied him?! Feeling his face burn red with a flash of anger, he found his response cut off. “I not turn in you and your friends… you may stay here as long as your friend needs to find himself healed. I charge not, but perhaps you help me clean?” she offered. Even in her hoarse voice it could be heard she was trying to be soft, trying to help these men, fugitives that she didn’t even know. “I am old, cannot clean you see.” Her hand motioned to the dust-coated walls and furniture. “Cannot reach the spider webs and such.” She swallowed thickly, a bit parched herself. “You clean and fix, I let you stay,” she said firmly, with a swift nod, not so much asking him as telling him.

At first, Poison felt the need to argue with this woman, but he shut his mouth when his eyes again rested weakly on her gnarled hands. Her fingers almost looked like old tree trunks, curled and falling apart with age… though she did give them water and a bed… a frown caught his lips at the next thought. She could just as well be lying. Better Living could be on their way as he stood here deciding. Trust outside of his team was so foreign to him at this point. However, he nodded. “A'ight, I guess we could help ya out… bu—”

“Start tomorrow!” She waved him off, with her hand holding the dirtied rag, standing hunched over. Her entire being reminded Poison somewhat of a pear—her body shape, the horrid green muumuu she was sporting, the shade of her hair and skin against the color… and her personality, a bit. “I give you list, you finish, I give food, water and bed. Now go sleep, change clothes, you look as if pig!” she scolded, and waved her rag at him, forcing him up the stairs to avoid it.

Thickly swallowing, the man obeyed, but by the time he reached the top of the stairs he was fuming. Who the hell was she to tell him, Party Poison, how to dress? To dismiss him? But his thoughts flew back to her hands, and that aged look on her face, and the wisdom he could feel swirling around her as if her aura were real… and the thoughts took over him. As unsafe as he worried he was… he didn’t feel unsafe. A sweet scent faintly caught his nostrils. incense? It’d been years since he smelled that… it had a comforting, almost homey smell that caused his stress level to fall significantly. It reminded him of a time before the wars, before this pain and destruction, before he had to make choices he could never take back. They were dangerous, the thoughts that swirled in his head, too safe, too perfect and unreal. Most of all, they brought back too many emotions for him to handle under this stress. Poison trudged back into the room holding his head up, his arrogance back in place. 

Turning to the two conscious men in the room, Poison pulled his 'leader’ voice back out. “We’ll be staying here until Ghoul heals, and in return we’re helping the old crone fix this dump up. I expect daily monitoring to be upheld, not only around this place and in town, but also in our usual target spots as well. We need to get ahold of CB straight away and contact D. He’ll be pretty goddamn pissed when he hears this one.” 

Poison’s voice was a low hiss, although he was barking these common-sense orders at them like a general. No one argued or rolled their eyes, or even mumbled something sarcastic about 'captain obvious’ to the man. Clearing his throat, Poison continued. “Someone needs to be by Ghoul’s side at all times, and as soon as he’s healed up we’re out of here. Now Jet, you’re going to scout out the town, see if there is any possibility of a threat here. If there is you’ll report back straight away and we’ll take care of it. Kobra, you clean up first, we need ya to be able to take care of Ghoul given the chance somethin’ goes wrong. I’ll take the first shift of watching him, and once Jet gets back he can shower and Kobra’ll watch him, then we’ll go from there… is that clear?” His voice dropped to a dangerous hiss, and he wasn’t even aware that he could have been repeating himself. Poison was focused on the goal. Get the fuck outta here and move the fuck on.

With a quick nod, Jet-Star took off, running his hand through his greasy, ratty mess of hair. Hopping to skip the last four stairs or so, he jogged out of the door. His eyes scanned the town set before him. The sidewalks were paved with gravel, and the streets were plain dirt. Simple enough to get away on, he mentally noted for his report back to Poison. His feet finally decided to slow to a casual pace as he headed down the road to examine the buildings. For a town not under the control of BLI, it seemed to be a fairly decent size. At this time, the sun was going down, so, thankfully, not too many people were on the roads. Making a few more mental notes, he observed an all-night diner not too far from the inn. The scent of coffee hung thick in the air when the door swung open as a few patrons entered. It made his mouth water. Wiping at his chapped lips with the back of his hand before running his tongue over them, he could faintly taste blood. God dammit. That would be a bitch to deal with later.

In addition to the diner, there was a small general store, a medic station, a weapons dealer, a car garage, a tattoo parlor, and a load of unmarked buildings. The town was torn between a “wild west” feeling and the aura of a run-down back alley of a city. Quite the odd mix. The sun was setting and Jet’s brows furrowed, since there didn’t seem to be much of a threat in this town. Then again, that was quite a bit more alarming than if there was. It was like if you jumped into a tank full of piranhas but weren’t getting eaten alive… chances are there was a shark around. The thought made his hair stand on end as he walked back into the inn. A few quick glances around proved that there wasn’t any Drac hiding there. The only thing he could hope was that the guys were still in the room, just fucking around, and not lying dead or dying from blaster wounds. 

The walk up the staircase was agonizing, everything was so quiet. While the desert got quiet, it was rarely this eerie. Jet’s hand dropped to his dark blue blaster… he didn’t draw it, but just having his hand on the hilt made him feel a bit calmer. The stairs creaked under his feet and his hair stood on end, his heartbeat taking off. He was a nervous wreck. Everything about this place at night was screaming for him to bolt—forget your shit, your teammates, just get to the fucking car and drive like Korse was hot on your tail. As he ascended, the view seemed to get even darker. There were no dimly-lit yellow lights or slow-burning candles along this corridor. Each step of his dirt-encrusted boot gave off a maddening creak. Head and palms beginning to pound, it felt like his heart was about to leap out past his lips.

Finally reaching the door to the room where his teammates were last, he could hear soft mumbles coming from the other side. His ear pressed against the door as he tried to make out the voices behind those noises. When he couldn’t, he drew his blaster, and in one swift motion he opened the door, blaster aimed and at the ready. “Freeze, fuc—”

A very annoyed-looking Poison shot him a glare. “Jet, what the fuck is wrong with you?” His eyes fell to a plate of what looked to be rice and beans in his lap. Ghoul was sitting up and eating something that looked halfway between a burrito and an enchilada. Smacking away happily, he gave Jet a small, very Ghoul-like smirk. Obviously, he was enjoying this. A soft bang came from the bathroom from where a clean Kobra emerged, steam drifting out of the dimly lit room behind him.

“Damn!” Kobra exclaimed as he stretched, towel draped lightly around his slim hips. “Fucking hot water, man. I could have lived in there for the rest of my life! Is there any food left or did fuckface down it al—Jet, what the fuck are you doing?” Kobra arched a heavy brow and dropped his arms, steam still rolling off his tanned form as his limbs crossed. When the man began stumbling over his words, Kobra rolled his eyes. “Well, at least lower the damn gun!” he joked, as he slid onto the unoccupied bed.

Jet stammered a bit more before finally taking Kobra’s advice and lowering his weapon. He was honestly shocked. What he was thinking before… it was so real! Or was it? It must’ve just been his mind playing tricks on him, new location and all… plus, wave heads always gave him the creeps. Once his gun was safely charging back in his holster, he shut the door that had remained ajar from his rough treatment. “Where the fuck did you guys get that?” he asked, trying to control his drooling.

“The old bat,” came Poison’s swift answer. “She wanted to make sure we got plenty into Ghoul to help him 'heal up.’ I personally think it’s a punishment for allowing a madman to go into her town unsupervised.” He added, “Give Ghoul all the rice and beans, get him nice and gassed up to stink up the room and make us suffer even worse than having to give him a sponge bat—” A pillow collided with Poison’s head with enough force to push him forward.

“Hey, shut the fuck up!” Ghoul quickly snapped at him. “You know you can’t wait to get your hands on my sexy body!” Normally, this would be accompanied by his stroking his own chest and hips and doing a little wiggle to shake his goods, but it seemed that even though his spirits were back up, he was hurting pretty badly.

Jet rolled his eyes at his group. “Anything for me?” Poison motioned to a covered plate on the nightstand, one Ghoul had been eyeing with heavy interest. Jet shot him a bit of a glare. Healing or not, Ghoul sure as hell wasn’t getting his little inked-up hands on Jet’s food… he would sooner throw him out the window. Real food was too hard to come by. Jet made a beeline toward it but was stopped by Kobra’s arm in front of his body.

“Go shower first, man, you fucking reek. Plus, I’m sure it’ll taste better without dirt as a topping.” The man chuckled a bit to himself at his own joke, oblivious to Jet’s glare, and helped himself to his own covered plate. It had one of those creations Ghoul had been eating along with a serving of rice, beans and what he assumed were peppers. Scooting the spicy food to the side, Kobra felt torn. Did he dig in and stuff his face right away? Or take it slow, and enjoy the food while he could? With a shrug, he began piling the food into his mouth. As he licked off what got on his newly-clean fingers, he made fake orgasm noises. Ignoring the eye rolls at his own expense, he kept downing the food, considering trying to talk between his mouthfuls, but deciding he’d rather have food than conversation at the moment.

Jet scoffed at Kobra—he ate like a starved dog! Glancing to his covered plate and back to the steamy shower, he sighed in defeat. “Ghoul, if you so much as think about touching my food, I swear to god, I will kick your ass to Battery and back again. I’ll even let Korse carve his name into your ass with a shiv.” Shooting both Ghoul and Poison a deadly look, he headed for the shower and shut the door, the sound of rushing water following soon after.

Poison sat back, almost licking his plate as he finished it. He swore to himself, remembering he should’ve asked Jet for that status report before he was shooed off to clean up. He frowned and started to stand up, debating on disturbing his shower to get it, but the idea of seeing Jet’s junk again made him shake his head and even mumble to himself, “No fuckin’ way I’m going in there.” Along with the unappealing idea of seeing Jet’s bits, there was something about this place, a relaxing feeling swooping over him. Maybe it was that smell that reminded him so much of home, or the helpful woman sleeping downstairs, but something deep in his soul just told him he was safe here, as if all this was meant to happen and they belonged here. Knowing the Zones were their home, a small frown tugged at his dry lips. How long would this feeling last? How long would it take for Ghoul to heal, and, most of all, why did he give a shit? Attachments were dangerous, whether they were to people or places. Nothing was definite in life before Better Living, and post-takeover it was even worse. Full families, towns, anything would be there one day, and then be cleaned out the next. Occasionally, ashes of the burning buildings mixed in with the sand, or some aimless book, toy, or piece of discarded furniture would be left to be found sticking out of the sand. But those weren’t the worst souvenirs of Better Living’s attacks. Even more rarely spotted, but spotted nonetheless, were human remains, not often full corpses but arms, hands, or rib bones, some of them small enough to fit fully in a man’s hand. Children slaughtered when their parents wouldn’t comply. Families destroyed because they refused to give in. Just the thought made Poison’s stomach drop. How many innocent kids and even babies died because of this rebellion? How many times had they seen those kids runnin’ 'round the Zones trying to copy them, trying be like them and force the revolution to continue? So many deaths were pointless. Not that they should have stayed in Battery, hell no. But finding a decent neutral town, waiting this shit out… man, that would be the best option for 'em. Or finding some way outta the Zones, at least.

As unlikely as it seemed, between Tommy, Dr. D, and Pony—even Cherri Cola—they were trying to find just that. Somewhere the radiation was easing up, just enough to make it livable, so they could keep pushing it back until they could create a hole of hidden safe-houses. It amazed Poison, the stupid choices people made at the end of the world. People fucked and ended up knocked up. Either the dude would run like hell or step up. Either way he was screwed, because stepping up usually meant they had to quit running and focus on protectin’ the woman till the kid was out, then protectin’ the kid 'til it was old enough to fend for itself. Sometimes it seemed Better Living loved targeting kids. Well, of course, you got a kid as a hostage, and the parents would do anything to save it… surrender, accept their choices, even die if it kept their kid from bein’ killed. If the man ran off there’d always be that naggin’ question. While, sure—there were some guys who couldn’t give a shit—he imagined at least some of 'em would worry, since in this life family bonds, whether tied by blood or friendship, were all you got. To abandon that, you’d have to be some heartless fucker.

The redheaded man tried to shake the thoughts from his head. The only thing that snapped him out of it was Ghoul’s loud snoring. The water was still running in the other room. Poison’s eyes met his brother’s relaxed form. The younger man was laid out, his tired eyes drooping, finally relaxed from his shower. Poison moved his shoulder in its socket with a slight wince, since his muscles were tight from the stress of pushing himself as hard as he did that day. He knew his eyes must’ve been red from the irritation he felt in them. He winced and picked at the inner corner of one eye as an eyelash fell in. He swore as a dirty nail just barely touched his eyeball, causing him to jerk it back. 

Kobra jumped slightly from his brother’s sudden commotion, but felt his heavy lids fall again. The fight, Ghoul’s injury, the treatment… it took a lot out of him. Now. here he was, warm and relaxed from that hot shower, in a comfy bed with clean, soft sheets. It was hard not to lose himself in the moment. Sliding against the blankets, the blond let out a contented sigh, his dark lids finally closing. Cutting off the one sense made him appreciate where he was even more. While the walls were dirty and dusty, the linens were kept clean, and compared to his sleeping bag it was like sleeping on a fragrant cloud. Hell, even the ratty carpet would be heaven compared to sleeping outside, but this… this was beyond that. He detected another faint, sweet smell… must’ve been that incense his brother had mentioned. He was right, it did make him feel like he was at home. Hugging his pillow tight to his chest, he smiled softly, allowing himself to be the adorable dork he really was deep down. Even if it was just for a moment, and no one could see it, Kobra Kid had never really grown out of his shy awkwardness. And for once it felt nice to just be that part of him and not the stressed-out, serious medic he had to be when they were running.

About an hour later, the rushing of the water stopped with a small bang. Poison jerked awake from his lulled state, remembering he was keeping watch. He blinked a few times to see Jet’s dripping form emerge; however, he was still wearing his jeans and a loose tank top, unlike Kobra’s more… relaxed attire. Considering there were only two beds and four men, well, they’d wanna be as clothed as possible, considering no one could really control morning wood at times. There was nothing more awkward than waking up with a raging boner while spooning your teammate. Thank God it’d never happened to him, but he was sure it had to someone, and, well, he wasn’t planning on experiencing that himself any time soon. Seemed Jet had the same thought, as the man gave Poison a quick nod, quickly glancing at the food and soon slumping onto the far side of the bed, facing away from Kobra. Loud snores soon filled the room. That was the last thing Poison heard before he too found himself drifting into an uneasy sleep.


	2. Radioactive Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So we get to see out fabled boys put to the hardest work of their lives. MANUAL CLEANING, THE HORROR. I'm pretty sure Ghoulie has nevr cleaned in his whole life, and when he attempts I'd imagine it would come out looking worse than before, amirite? Good thing he's still stuck on wheelchair rest. But then D and Pony turn up missing? Where could they have gone to and how can the fabulous four help them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated here. Sorry, I haven't been as active as I should. I'll try and fix that. I'm gonna try to update weekly/biweekly until all of my chapters are caught up.

A beam of light shone through the cracks of the blinds. It was just enough to illuminate the dim room where the four men stayed. Dust particles danced through the room, the space must've once been a cream color but age and destructive guests changed that. A dark gray layer of dirt and grime ran along the wall, accompanied by various scuff marks and small holes. It was as if someone threw their dirty boots against the wall then used a screwdriver, punching hole after hole, trying to create a pattern but failing horribly. Aside from the two beds in the room, there was a small table, hardly bigger than a large pizza. It seemed to be on its last leg-- the wood was old and unpolished, a scratched surface with various swears carved into its unwilling wood. The deep auburn, beige and deep brown spirals on top forgotten for the flashes of deep damage in it. On each side was an oversized pleather chair. They were lashing a color that was a mix of ‘baby shit’ yellow and lime green. The surface was cracked, and covered in its own scratch marks, though they appeared unintentional, just the usual wear and tear of age.

Aside from its appearance it still gave off the feeling of safety, the scent of homemade bread spiraled through the air as if it were a cheesy commercial. The smell lingered with the incense of the night before, the mix brought to mind a visit to a psychic. The need to make one's guests feel welcome, but with a mystic eerie feeling that could make even the biggest skeptic believe in magic and unicorns. Even the worn chairs provided comfort, then again if one was staying in the middle of nowhere with naught but rocks, sand and an old car to sit in, the most lumpy couch would seem like a garden of Eden. The room was quite small, hardly large enough for the makeshift sitting area and full sized beds, the carpet was a dirty, musty brown. Probably beige, white or some neutral color that had taken abuse from many a shoe and bag. It was on this floor that Ghoul discarded his opened vest, in the middle of a debate between his teammates.

"I don't wanna stay here! Why do you guys get'ta go? Just get me a wheelchair like D's! C'mon! I feel better!" The younger man was protesting with his best puppy dog pout. Big eyes, the works, he usually tried this when it came to getting his way, though; it rarely worked, to his own disappointment. Nonetheless, he would always try and pray that it would one day work its magic as it had worked on many women before. He was a genius in the way of the female, and loved to brag about it to no end, although it usually just earned him a few laughs and eye rolls, they even accused him of never sleeping with a girl! This of course was total bullshit, with a gorgeous mug like this, who wouldn't want a piece of Ghoul?

"Don't even think about it," Poison snapped behind a clenched jaw. "Not only would that be a bitch to find, it would probably break down! Then I'd be the one stuck pushing you while you decide to rock the chair and drive me nuts!" his hazel eyes met the other man's with a heavy glare. That look, oh god, was Ghoul that fucking desperate to come along? A small sigh escaped his lips. "Fine!" Poison cried out, giving in. "If we managed to come across one… We'll pick it up, if it breaks down you're staying there!" This of course was total bullshit, he could no less leave his own brother behind, as much as he liked to remind Ghoul that he wasn't related, the man was practically blood. Especially when he decided to pull pranks, like the time he painted the Trans pink, oh but not just any pink, the same pink as those nasty ass candy hearts people once gave out for valentines. The ones that were like flavored chalk. "Do you hear me buddy boy?!" came his last snarl before the man busted up.

Although laughing hurt, Ghoul just couldn't help it! "B-b-buddy boy?! Pfff! What is this, the nineteen-fucking-fifties?!" he managed to keep jabbing Poison's choice of words between his heavy guffaws. "Whats the next one? Bucko? Gonna start talking all 'now see here mista,' that is just too funny!" The laughter continued until tears stung his eyes and the pain got to be too much, he laid back wheezing slightly, causing Kobra to dart over in concern, this wasn't good. 

His brows were furrowed as he looked over Ghoul's wounds, some bleeding but nothing too bad. He looked to Ghoul "You can't get yourself riled up like that, it’s gonna risk bleeding, and if I'm not around..." he began to scold but froze, shaking the thought out of his head. "Just... Just stay in bed, a'ight? Do your best to sleep, etcetera..." With a swallow and shake of his head, Kobra turned to gear up, his red jacket releasing a small cloud of dust as he jerked the item onto his torso.

Poison nodded in agreement. "Just get your dumbass self some sleep so we can move on." Once said, he turned to head out the door, running his hand through his newly cleaned hair. The hallway was now lit, much to Jet's obvious pleasure. After last night, man, he was ready to high tail it out of there, but now it was nowhere near as freaky. The night before they were too distracted by, well, Ghoul, to really take in the ruin of this inn. Spider webs and cracks, dusty furniture falling apart, even the doorknobs were twisted loose, it looked like if you even touched one they would shatter, the tarnished metal flying through the air like glitter from a child's birthday card.

Another trip down the old staircase and they came face to face with the woman who let them in. Arching a salt-and-pepper brow at them, her wrinkled face stuck in a skeptic glance, "Be back, near six," she muttered under her breath, despite the distance the smell of fish oil and garlic rolled off of her in waves, it seemed. A rather overpowering combination it was. "You must do work, I have list for you," she added firmly and straightened her back to the best of her ability. Despite this, she still hardly came up past Poison's shoulders. With a slight nod from each man they walked past her, dark eyes following their every move as her old cracked lips pushed into a straight line. 

They flipped their shades on as the door closed with a muffled noise. Jet was instantly alert, eyes scanning everywhere. It was more crowded than before, but not much. Occasional groups of people stood, laughing and talking, probably about the day, or what they had planned. Their outfits were in various stages, some were just in civilian street clothes, others wore full out desert garb. One group of four girls were looking their way and giggling, they couldn't have been more than sixteen, yet they wore killjoy attire, and something about that made Poison's stomach sink. These kids saw them running around and followed them, they were risking their lives. And so many of them lost their families, or would get hurt, even forfeiting their lives to mimic them…

While their cause was important, was it really worth all these kids dying over it? It was one thing for them, the thirty-or-so-odd men to be aware of the cost if they lost a fight. But could a child really understand that? A life long lost before it even began? He blamed himself to be honest; some nights when sleep wouldn't find its way to him for hours, he would lie and stare off into nothing. Plagued by guilt of pain and murder. He could have put his gun to those kid's heads and pulled the trigger, which would have been kinder. Yet, something about dying in this life seemed better. There weren't too many choices out here, conform to Better Living, run in the desert, or settle down in a community like this and risk problems for both sides. Maybe death was the best choice…

This town probably was threatened at all times. Whether it be Dracs blowing in, or Killjoys who thought they were giving in. Looking to the small towns boundary line he squinted slightly. Imaginary people running in and out through his line of sight. Kids being taken, people killed, All over what? A choice to not fight but not wanting to be controlled, something about this made him feel even sicker. He WAS mad at these people; if half the adults in this town were to fight they could make a huge difference, but... His eyes moved to rest on a small family, single mother and two kids. Someone like that had to stay behind, but the burly man behind her could fight. He swallowed, eating his own words as the man handed her a loaf of bread with a smile. 

The people here depended on each other. If they took out all the men and laborers, the town would fall apart. Women can't fix everything and take care of their families, and gain produce. He began internally beating himself up. How could he even imagine recruiting these men, it would destroy their way of life. Then again, their cause was important too! All those innocents under control, these people were pretending that it didn't exist!

The internal battle ebbed and flowed in his mind, he moved to tug at his fair face turning red, torn between his way of life and any compassion for others. Soon he was making a spectacle of himself. Kobra reached to touch his shoulder, brows furrowed with honest worry and concern. 

"Poison?" the younger man's voice shook slightly, a small wrinkle formed above the bridge of his nose. "Are you alright?" Kobra tried to keep his voice lowered as to not draw any more attention than needed.

Poison let out a small groan and shook his head; a fine coat of dust had coated him in the time he had spaced out. The dirt flew off his hair creating a small dust cloud around his head. A few coughs and sneezes later his tired eyes set on his brother. He looked more aged than tired, the bags under his eyes more defined as if he hadn't slept in a few days. The man swallowed as his gaze met the ground. Guilt and shame painted his features, he was also mourning. For those deaths he caused, for those kids who he couldn't protect. That's what they were trying to do, protect human life at the costs of many deaths.

"Poison," Kobra whispered again and rubbed his back weakly, he couldn't stand to see his brother this way. Poison was the leader; he took all responsibility in some ways. As much as he tried to avoid it, Kobra knew this would one day take its toll. As much as he pretended he wasn't, his brother was a caring guy; in fact he cared so much, that it killed him. "It isn't your fault," he addressed, his voice quiet but firm in its message. "It's not your fault that tho--"

"Where do you think they first saw it?! Where do you think they got the idea, Kobra?! We were the ones who started running out here! They saw us and wanted to help! Wanted to be like us! These are fucking kids! They have no idea what they're giving up, what they're risking! Abandoning their families to play Cowboys and Indians! They think they're becoming huge heroes but they're not!" Poison was doing his best to keep his voice at a stinging whisper, he was still cornered as to who might be watching. "All they're gonna do is end up getting killed for this… They're just kids, Ko… At their age we were hiding in the basement and reading comic books, not out risking our lives for something we could avoid!"

"Times have changed," Kobra's quick reply. "During the second World War, kids at this age would falsify documents to join the war, if it was what they really wanted to do they found a way to do it." With a shake of his head he paused and swallowed. "And that's what these kids are doing, it's not just us, they believe in our cause, our goal, what we're trying to do here... They want to see the city liberated as much as we do! Their friends, their families, all of it back. They want to see their loved ones just like them, able to feel! Able to think for themselves, to enjoy life again!"

Poison glowered for a moment but his face soon fell back to sorrow. Closing his eyes he thought about his brother's words, how passionate they were, his mind took him back. If it were the same situation and he was sixteen, fifteen, hell even fourteen; and his brother was under Better Living's control. He would go out there in an instant; he would do whatever it took to help him, his baby brother. He loved that kid more than anything, even that young. Kobra had always been his best friend, let alone the idea of all his friends and family… all numb to life. He opened his eyes, a new fierceness there. "We need to get to a CB," he growled with a new passion to his cause. They would win this fight, not only for the kids that were lost, but the ones who were still locked up and suffering in that womb of lives that they called Battery City.

"That's my brother!" Kobra grinned and wrapped his arm around Poison. They walked around the town searching for a working CB, eventually finding one in the backroom of the general store. Once they had shut the door into the light brown room they checked on the waves to find the familiar frequency that would lead them to their bossmen.

"D here, speak," came a familiar, gravelly voice, the gruff sound of teeth grinding followed the sound. He must have been trying to quit smoking again, every time his temper got shorter and he ground his teeth louder, Ghoul would always joke they should just record the noise and play it through the streets of Battery to annoy everyone in Better Living to death. However D didn't find the joke so funny and it earned the young man a few smacks of a cane to the face.

Poison's eyes were still determined, "It's Poison, Ghoul got hurt, we're in a small town outsida the Zone lines, we're stuck 'ere till he can move again, we're gonna need a motorized chair and a shitton of time, but we're ready to be running missions again." His teeth were gritted as his body shook so full of rage, he was ready to take on the entire world for this.

D let out a loud groan and rubbed his brows before pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb "He's that bad off, huh?" the man managed to grunt out, pulling his hand back to stare at the calloused flesh. Of course the man already knew the answer, he was Dr. Death Defying! He knew every single thing that went down in the zones.

"He can hardly sit up, you're gonna have to find us, I don't have coordinates and I'm not sure how safe this line is, just hurry with this one… Have there been any big raids?" It may have only been a day but sometimes that's all it took for all hell to break loose.

"A'ight, I'll see what I can do. There was a pretty bad one out in Zone two yesterday…three dusted, two were ours." the older man grunted before hanging up the mic and turning to his polka dotted assistant. Sighing and shaking his head, he grumbled something along the lines of 'These fucking kids are gonna be the death of me,' closing his eyes. The whirr of his wheel chair filled the small colorful ragtag station as he moved to do what he could.

Poison hung up the CB nodding to his team, he was ready for this. "We're going out to Zone two," he announced. That attack would be a hotspot for a while and he needed to take down some fuckin' Drac scum that was the best fix out here in the zones. Hearing those assholes hit the ground one by one, the sizzle of the air in a fight, that fixed ya no matter what mood you were in.

Jet and Kobra nodded in unison, both zipping up their jackets. Jet headed out first as Kobra shot his brother a grin. He was back to normal and nothing would take this away. The brothers headed out, joining their remaining member, Jet was waiting by the trans and pulled his bandana over his mouth, ready to be in a real fight again.

The men hopped into the car, and Poison revved the engine and drove out of town. A large dust cloud forming behind them, Poison's hands were shaking violently, it was affecting the car's path. He was gritting his teeth and sweat was budding on the nape of his neck as he glared into the horizon. "We're gonna kick some Draculoid ass," he hissed as the car hit the road of route guano. The familiar road provided a different comfort: Reality. This was his world and he was gonna fucking show them how to do it.

Finding a former raid wasn't too hard, the scent of gunpowder filled the air and let you know you were close, usually a wrecked campsite was the best sign. Sure enough, a few singed sleeping bags and a poorly extinguished fire were waiting for them. A corpse lay next to the circle of rocks; a white suit dirtied with sand, the head was forced into the charred pile of rocks as if they were trying to burn the mask from the enemy's face.

The three men exited the car and looked around the site. Two more bodies were stiff in the sand, the winds must've been harsh last night as they were half buried and not much more than mounds of sand. Jet headed for the bags, a few items strewn around. Some herbs and half full bottles of water, it felt like one of those video games, where you'd take things from the dead to keep yourself going. But this was life, you couldn't just reset it and hope to keep going.

Collecting the items, he discarded them in his ample pockets. Kobra headed for the bodies, burying them in silence, there were no signs of any Dracs right now and with him being a medic he had to make sure that they were buried properly as well. Call him superstitious, but he didn't want to be haunted by the ghosts of those uncared for after death.

Poison kept an eye out; there was no sign of them on the horizon. He almost shook in fury, he needed to blow some steam off, but there wasn't much else he could do to let this rage out. Hazel eyes squinted, trying to keep the glare off his eyes, the…glare?! Sure enough there was a beam of light sparkling off a windshield. A white car sped for them; a smirk grew on his covered lips, perfect. 

Jet dropped his searching hand on his gun, he began to fire first. He crouched behind a sand dune and focused on the car's tires, they needed to fight on even ground, and needed to take them down quickly. Poison let out a dark chuckle as one of the tires blew out, bits of black exploded and the car spun out hitting a dune. The driver's head was smashed against the dashboard; blood splattered against the glass, dripping down as if Poe himself had designed the sight. The passenger door swung open, and a man's white suit was stained with the blood of his partner, gun raised and firing at the three rebels.

The hot sizzle filled the air, it got Kobra's blood pumping, pupils dilated with the adrenaline now rushing through his veins. More men piled out of the car, each with a different degree of blood spatter on them. The shots flew wildly. The Dracs were taking all the hits, really, the three colorful men more alert and ready than ever. Nothing quite like that to get Poison's blood singing with pride.

Each blast left red marks and swelling, blood flowing from the wounds mingling with the blood that was already covering their bodies. Jet was grinning, eyes lit up, with the expectancy of the bodies falling, slumping in the sand with the sound of their victory. This was a high no one else could know, not unless you loved fighting with the same passion as this group did.

The opponents were advancing on them, however, the shots getting closer to their bodies. They dragged this out long enough, with a flick of the wrist Jet brought down two of the masked men and Kobra gave the third a violent headshot. Ghoul would have loved to be in on this, Kobra thought, shaking his head as he moved over to kick the bodies to be certain of their deaths. He nodded three times; all dead, the smoke still rolling off the blast marks on their bodies.

Panting heavily Poison slumped down in the sand; his brilliant yellow blaster's barrel was emitting a foul smell along with the usual smoke. It was the usual post-fight scenario. He felt a bit out of practice, even after one day, he needed to keep this up daily, every hour he wasn't fighting felt like days... He just sat there for a while, reflecting on the soothing endorphins filling his entire form. The man only jumped up hearing tires hit dirt, the sound was familiar. Poison blinked to see D's van.

Kobra was stretching his stiff muscles as the driver's door opened, a youthful face emerged. Sand clung to his slim stomach along with his once white clothing. His skates sunk into the ground slightly but that didn't stop him from smoothly transitioning over. The red design on his face was highlighting his features. "Had some fun?" He asked with a chuckle. "The old man figured you'd come here right away so I wanted to drop off some supplies," he opened the side of the van, pulling out the wheel chair along with a bag of herbs. He handed the items over and pulled a wad of carbons from his tight undershirt. "D figured you might need these," he winked as Kobra took the cash. "Stay safe guys, I have to get back to work," he chuckled as Poison opened his mouth, Pony never stuck around for long but God be damned if he wasn't a life saver.

Kobra shifted through the crumpled bills and counted. "We got three hundred carbons," he whispered and shoved a third of them to the other two men, they might need them later on, you never know when you need to bribe someone to keep their mouth shut. Threatening with a blaster didn't always go over the best..

Nodding to each other and loading up the car, Jet hopped in the front this time, him and Kobra sorting through the various dry herbs and sniffing them. Most herbs could be eaten plain or brewed into a very bitter tea. It depended on if the victim could swallow easily or not. The most important thing was not to mistake the herbs; they could be poisonous if you didn't know the right herbs to mix. Or if you used a topical mixture as an edible one.

The plants could be sorted from scent; the more bitter the smell the more potent it was. Most of the jars that were taken off the campsite were just mild in odor. Nothing too special but they'd help with pain and dizzy spells. The jars from pony however had a strong distinct smell that reminded Jet of cannabis, the way that it would fill the room even if you only opened it a little bit. These could cure anything that ailed ya, they were expensive to boot, where could he have… Oh, of course, Tommy would have them. They must've cost a pretty penny, though…

Hitting the asphalt again, Jet sorted through the other items they grabbed. The two flasks were shaken, about half filled with water, and water was worth ten times its weight in gold out here. It was the distinct line between life and death, people who had it had power out here, however hoarding it wasn't always the best idea, it got so hot that it could evaporate quicker than it takes for a blast to the chest to kill ya. A small charm was tied around one of the containers, just twine and the item itself. A sandstone carved peace sign with ribbons of red, bringing to mind a rainbow. Jet gripped the charm and slid it into his jacket pocket; he would dispose of it later on. Usually these little memories were burned in honor of those who fell. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

Heading back into town they pulled up in front of the inn, nodding a hello to Mrs. Palafox with the wheelchair strapped over Jet's back. Heading up the lengthy stairs, they went to see Ghoul. When Jet reached the room, he carried the chair in with a smile. "We got ya some help," he said.

Ghoul looked over with tired eyes and waved them off with a big yawn. "Sleep first," he mumbled and slumped back into his sheets, cuddling his pillow. He was content resting up, this earned him a few eye rolls, Lazy ass. The men set up the chair for him and headed back down, they had to get back to their lives.

Downstairs and back into the sun, they were each glancing around. They needed to explore the town more today, get a taste of what these people offered. The threat risk, all of it, one hint of perfection and they would have to get out of here, maybe head to D's station and annoy the shit outta him for a while. With a tilt of his head, Jet saw the diner, it looked packed and lively. Stomach rumbling with need, he glanced at Poison and Kobra, both seemed to be on the same page, their stomachs audible as well. 

"Food?" The dark haired man offered with a heavy arched brow, and by the look on the other's faces the answer was obvious. The three men strode across the dirt road, ignoring the somewhat paved walkways and ducked inside the diner. It was actually quiet despite the crowd inside, mainly just groups of adults and teens seated around the rectangular beige tables. Aside from the tile immediately under their feet, the rest of the diner seemed to be somewhat clean and well kept. As well kept as you could keep out here, anyway. The smell of food drifted around and had their mouths watering, and without thinking they seated themselves into an empty booth. The surface of the table had small cracks and marks in it, it was obviously once white, but time in the desert, and people being unclean had stained it like coffee stains teeth.

Where there once sat sweeteners and salt there now were four small menus, poorly laminated as if they were done by a school teacher in a rush, but the food on said menus were enough to make Poison's jaw drop. They had meat… It was probably horse meat… or something like that. Hopefully an animal… The idea of a Donner party or Sweeney Todd situation entered his mind but Poison shook it off. This sounded great, a platter of pastries and coffee passed by, coffee with cream, real fucking cream!

This was bliss, almost too good to be true, that thought snapped Poison out of it, resting his hand on his blaster as a waitress came up. She looked young aside from the deep dimples on her cheeks and bags under her eyes. Dirt and grease were smudged on her baby blue uniform. She wore a half assed smile along with it showing the front of her slightly stained teeth. "What can I get you guys?" she managed out with a small sigh. Her hip jutted out to the side, notepad resting lazily in her hands as she glanced at them with tired eyes.

Poison blinked and frowned softly. "Just a coffee and uh," he blinked, examining the plain menu and squinting slightly he lifted his own goggles up, it seemed to be fine, no one had swarmed them, no one had called their names, they were just anonymous wanderers here. "Fuck, anything sounds good," he frowned and glanced at his brother.

Kobra was almost drooling, "U-uh… Large coffee and… The biggest steak you have!" the words came out similar to a foggy moan, real meat, even if it wasn't fully meat…but anything that tasted like real meat would be better than sex in a jar of peanut butter right now!

"What he said," Jet mumbled, as he glanced through the menus leaning back. "Easy on the sugar and no cream," he half muttered, looking through the menu with a furrowed brow. "Hey so, what’s the deal with this combo?" he pointed to a section of the laminated menu, looking to the waitress with a brow arched, it was just worded oddly.

The waitress blinked and squinted down at the menu, a finger twisting her tied up violet hair. She bit her lower lip heavily and muttered something to herself, clearing her throat she realized all men were waiting on her "I-I… I uh, I think that one’s outdated, sorry, we haven't really had a chance to update the menus in a while," she kept mumbling a few things that they couldn't make out as she glanced over her shoulder, flipping through the notebook of orders. "Uh, anyway," she turned to Poison again, "For you?' she arched a brow.

The leader coughed, his brow falling from its inquisitive arch, gently he looked to his hand, resting on the hilt of his gun. That was secure, just in case this chick started flipping out or some shit. "I'll go with them, coffee and steak," he nodded once casting a wary glance to his teammates. The ones he got in return made him shake his head and glance up at the woman who nodded.

"I'll be right back then." The woman walked away and headed back into the kitchen, adjusting her hair in its messy bun and washing her hands free of her skin's oils, she sighed and turned to see a very angry looking man glaring up at her. Her boss 'Walter' was a very small man, roughly five foot, and he was round, skin always had a slight orange tint. He honestly reminded her of a pumpkin, his hair thinning right on top in a way that even slightly resembled a jack o lantern. However he was far from fun, the man had a poison tongue that would put a rattlesnake to shame, and he flew off the handle easier than the MMA fighter that punched that annoying Jersey cunt way back in 2009. Swallowing heavily, she gave him a bored look back, which was always the best way to handle these situations…

"Revenge, I swear to God, if you embarrass me or this diner, I will personally throw you back into the whorehouse you slid out of you fucking..." he gripped his thinning strands of blond hair, and growled. "Listen up," he snarled grabbing at the front of her uniform "If you fuck this shit up, I'll find someone who can do the job right," he pushed her back softly, raging at one of the cooks before retreating back into his office like the little slime he was.

Revenge rolled her eyes and poured out three mugs of coffee, putting each to the individualized orders and grabbing a small cup of cream in case she messed anything up, putting them on a serving platter and carrying them back out to the three men to which they belonged. "Steaks will be out in a minute boys," waiting for their nod of thanks and walking away.

Diving into his coffee, Kobra let out a small sigh of content. "So where do we go from here?" he arched a brow and looked around the table waiting for a reaction, seems everyone had the same question just past their own lips. Sipping their scolding beverages, a silent conversation seemed to be passing between the three patrons. One of raised eyebrows, skeptic glances and the occasional headshake. 

Finally, Jet let out an audible swallow and leaned in to whisper, not that the people here didn't seem 'nice' enough, just habit, really. "Well, obviously we're stuck here until Ghoul get better… I guess we'll crash around here and keep running missions outta the inn?" he offered, his heavy brow furrowed.

Poison frowned heavily. ”I guess that's all we really can do. Hey, Ko, how much longer you think till he'll be up and walking?" The redhead looked to his younger brother expectantly, his fingers drumming against the table, the usual sign of his impatience, or just plain boredom.

Kobra let out a small sigh, refilling his coffee and taking a long satisfying drink. "I have no idea," he admitted with a mumble. "It's kinda up to him on whether he'll lay back and rest or fight me at every turn." Another big drink passed his lips. "The more I argue with him about it, the more he's gonna fight." He shook his head with his lids shut weakly. "We just gotta see how this pans out."

Both men frowned, nodding their thanks when the woman came back handing their food over with a fresh round of coffee, even a new pot. She smiled weakly. "Ain't you boys getting no sleep?" She was trying to be polite, but it was just small talk. She soon shot a glare over her shoulder and headed back into the grey swinging doors of the kitchen. The steaks weren't huge but the smell of spices and herbs made the men's mouths water, the brown skin indented with charred bits of brown was a forgotten paradise. They just stared at the food for a moment with their mouths watering before they each dug in, the meat was a bit tough, but tasty nonetheless. Their knives were soon coated in the animal meat and juice. Gulping down each bite, it sure as hell was better than power pup, and hell, if bein stuck here meant they got'ta eat like this at times, well the who the fuck cared?

About fifteen minutes passed before Jet finally leaned back with a content sigh, hand on his stomach and licking at his lips. A small burp came out as he reached for his coffee, downing yet another mug of that God sent liquid. It ran down his throat smoothly, the rich aroma floating up to his nose as he sighed happily, yup, this was the life.

Poison crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. Meat was good, oh god yes, meat was good. He almost felt like lulling himself to sleep, eye unwillingly opening to hear someone walking up, their waitress handed them a small piece of paper. "Your bill," she said quickly, "You pay up front." And with that she turned away and went back to work. Poison closed his eyes again, suppressing a long yawn. Having another sip of coffee, he glanced to the bill. 25 carbons? He shook his head, those steaks put them over worse than anything, coffee was cheap here, and the coffee was damn good.

Standing, as much as no one seemed to want to, was the next step of their journey. Heading for the front register he paid their bill, glancing back to see his brother and Jet dragging their feet along behind him, stretching was the inevitable trait. They had to stay awake and check out the town as a team. Slipping his shades on Poison headed out into the cruel light of the desert sun. The perfect remedy for overeating. Stretches and small noises filled the air as they headed back to the rock lined walkway, rubble crunching under their heavy boots as Jet let out a content sigh. The sun kinda felt good on their skin, the diner was cool in almost a cruel way... An unnatural way, but they had good coffee.

Kobra stretched out and yawned, squinting even under his tinted shades. He spotted a garage and took the lead, strolling over. The building itself was beat to shit, but the actual equipment seemed to be in good shape. A longing for his own motorcycle hit him but he tried to shake it off, taking a look around. He saw cars from all ages, some were even from the 2000s, and those were harder to come by. You needed computers to fix them and where there were computers, there was Bli. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked around the open building, no computers…glancing to the cars again he noticed it was interiors being scrapped, that was… a bit better...? A frown tugged his lips, who the fuck cares about their interior?! He sighed and glanced around realizing he wandered into the garage alone, Kobra groaned, he always did that and got yelled at for it!

Ready to head back he felt a hand touch his shoulder and spun around ready to fight, the quick motion and awkward posing made him fall on his ass with a loud 'thud'. The body connected to the hand chuckled. "Nice moves," the man teased, extending his hand to the form on the ground. Kobra took it warily, and stood squinting through his shades to get a look at the man who scared the shit out of him. The man was young, easily in his early twenties; he had bright hazel eyes and mussy dirty blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a half grin that vaguely reminded Kobra of an embarrassed anime character. Shaking the thought off, his eyes darted back to analyzing the man before him. Despite his age, the kid was near as tall as him! Wasn't quite as thin but they held similar builds. They probably could have passed for twins with a change of clothes and some hair dye! Creepy.

"Sorry ‘bout that, I have a tendency to walk quietly," gesturing to his boots he chuckled. "You'd think these things would make more noise out here, but oh well, sometimes life just has it's little mysteries, eh?" he relaxed his hands, looking to the man in shades with a half-smile "Name's Greased Whiskers," He extended his hand to the older man easily. The situation soon felt awkward…

Kobra stared at the dark oil coated hand for a moment before Whiskers retracted it wiping his hand on his black patchy jeans, obviously not thinking of what he was doing, before seeing a strange man wander into his building. The hand left dark stains on his jeans, they lingered among the other various blotches in a way that was similar to a pattern, almost intentional. Extending a smudgy, less dirty hand Kobra weakly shook it with a nod. "Just was admiring your setup here, got a good work space." His eyes darted around the dirty grey walls covered with various clippings of newspapers, magazines, sketches, all of various engines and parts. One in particular was tacked up above a dimly lit work desk with a chair pulled out. Must've been where he was sitting when Kobra strolled in. "That Ford-289 V8 looks pretty damn good there, you into Mustangs?" He arched a brow, the obvious answer there but, just gave him time to check out the location.

"Oh hell yeah!" Came the kid's eager reply. "64 and ½ all the way!" his eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together, cars were his thing, simple as that. "Man, my mom had one when she was a kid, parents got it for her sweet sixteen. Only cost 'er 300 bucks! She had to sell it when she married my dad though, it sucked so hard!" he groaned, obviously still upset by her choice. Moving to flop his body down in one of the open cars he laughed "I'd kill for one of 'em now. But then again, I woulda killed for one at any time," he joked. "That machine was a fuckin' beast!" he grinned wide at the older man.

Kobra chuckled at the kid's enthusiasm. This was cute, he shook his head. "Yeah, a li'l before your time, huh?" Kobra inquired with a smirk splitting his face at one side. With a shake of his head he continued "Well I gotta head out, man, sorry to bug ya." He was about to walk out when he stopped and half turned back "Wait, how much you know about bikes?"

"Bikes?" the younger man blinked, "Like what? Motorcycles?" Stroking his chin slightly he headed for the back room, a load of spare parts laid there. Shuffling through them he muttered to himself and frowned softly "I got enough spares to fix one up," he turned back and looked to him "Why, whatcha need to know about 'em? Need one fixed?" Obviously a bit spacey in his thought process, it'd been so long since he'd gotten paid for doin' this... this was like a perfect dream come true, all he could have ever wanted.

He nodded and stroked his chin. "I got one myself, but uh, I think the engines shot…" he swallowed "It’s in the back of my bro's car… Would you mind taking a peek at it?" he crossed his arms, watching the kid's face. He was hoping this could be the fix he needed; Poison and Ghoul usually got theirs from the fights, fan girls and attention. Jet got his from the feelings of accomplishment when he completed a mission perfectly. And Kobra? Well Kobra got his from the freedom of his bike. The privacy and thrill of really having the time to introspect, to lose yourself in the winds.

Whiskers lit up. "Y-yeah, of course I could!" he grinned proudly. "Just... Just bring it by whenever and I could could take a peek at it!" He was beaming with excitement. Hands clasped together he chuckled shaking his head "I'll see you later!" he called. noticing Kobra was walking out of the garage. "Yes!" Kobra whispered to himself with a big grin. He would be back on his bike soon enough and he could even run missions on his own again, any little bit helped out right now.

Heading back out into the sun, Kobra adjusted his glasses to find Jet and Poison sitting outside of a medical clinic giving him a stern look. He waved them off slightly as they stood. Crossing his arms, he tilted his hips slightly, waiting for the shitstorm to touch down. Poison looked like he was gonna smack him as the pair met up with Kobra, an eye roll and glower was the main communication right now, sometimes non-verbal contact was all they did. Plus bystanders didn't need to be nosing into their business. 

Poison opened his mouth but was cut off by Jet coughing. "We're gonna stop inside, see if they got any herbs and shit to help Ghoul out." Dusting some of the dirt off his dark jacket, he let another cough fly. "Don't wander off again or I'll let Poison blast through this whole damn town," Jet took off inside of the building to hopefully get a little extra boost of help, never could have too many herbs.  
“I found a garage willing to look at my bike, I was just checkin' shit out,” Kobra attempted to explain to his brother as they walked into the building. It was clean, but not freakishly so, there was dirt on the buttercup floors and the walls were an odd seafoam green. Like they were trying to make hospitals “happy”. The wallpaper turned to stripes, like a circus design; bring out the big top stripes. Various counters lined the room with off-white tile. Dirty brown lines for grout, various coffee stains lingered there, the shades from light beige to a rich cocoa.

Jet walked up to one of the women hovering over a clipboard that was desperately trying to fall apart in her hands. She blinked and looked up at him with an arched brow. “Can I help you?” She twirled a pencil around one of her yellow locks. She didn’t even stand up to Jet-Star’s shoulder, but from her glance alone he felt as if he was being looked down on. Her dark eyes were bearing into his own, every breath she took made the deep scar tissue on her neck expand and retract-- She’d been given a death blow, and most of all she survived it. A strong woman stood before him, to say the least.

Jet swallowed thickly. “My friend was shot up pretty bad and our medic… Well, he did everything he could, I was wondering if you had any pain meds or anything..?” He arched a dark brow and crossed his strong arms over his chest, watching the woman let out a sigh before moving around to pick up various herbs in small glass jars, handing them over. Her gritty nails were stained with oil and dirt, they were rough and jagged, betraying her as a nail biter. Stress was here in the town, but the signs of it were small.

The woman went back to her charts straight away. “They grow all around this town, you know. Just in back alley ways, along buildings, so on.” The woman mumbled as she flipped through a few pages, “We’re a free service, so if he gets any worse, feel free to bring him in.” With that she turned back to her work, waving Jet off with a flick of her wrist. She didn‘t even give him a second glance. Her work was too important for small talk.

After all that’s what she was about, saving lives was more important than a chat with some stranger. That was the kind of thing that distracted her, and she couldn’t afford that. “Razor!” Called another nurse and she rushed over, a kid sat there with a scraped knee that was covered in bits of glass and rock. ‘Tsking’ softly, she knelt down and used tweezers to pull bits of the glass free. Then gently brushing the rock away, Razor cleaned the dirt and wiped the area clean before wrapping it in a bandage.

“Now be careful out there,” she said, smiling and ruffling the boy's hair. His dirt coated face lit up and he nodded, hustling back to his friends. The doors let out a gentle hum as they closed, as the woman sighed and washed her hands free of all the dirt she could manage.

Jet watched the woman with soft eyes. Shaking it off, he extended the herbs to Poison, whose hand was still hovering near his blaster. This town was off. It was like the war never even happened. That wasn’t normal; it even had a false sense of security. Poison swallowed heavily and gave both men a nod, with that the two headed after him. The sun was blinding up above them, it rays taunting and burning the men. The heat was almost unbearable, the safest action was just to slump back into the inn, and all three dirty sweating messes.

As soon as the door shut they were greeted by the aged woman, her shaking hands clutched over the curve of her belly. “You had good time?” she arched one of her brows before turning to pull a few papers from the front desk and extend them to Poison. He couldn’t help but let out a soft groan, he’d forgotten about this nonsense, and wasn’t really in the mood to dress up in a goddamn maid outfit before getting ass fucked over a barrel by this biddy. She poked him slightly until he took the papers glancing over the list and mumbling, the paper had an off texture to it. A bit more grainy then most loose leaf paper, and it was an odd tan shade. One small whiff explained everything: hemp paper. Of course, the conditions out here were perfect for growing… They must’ve… So that’s why the town was so relaxed!

Holding off a chuckle at the thought, Poison began to read on. Nothing on there was too time consuming or difficult, mainly things like dust the cobwebs, clean the glass, just small things to make the place look better. Shifting through the papers he noticed there were three papers, through the last one had less to do, the work was harder. Smirking softly to himself, he passed them out, giving himself the first and his brother the last. “Alright, we’ll finish this up before headin’ back upstairs,” proceeding to go and start dusting off the furniture.

A few hours and one very annoyed Kobra later; the men were finally heading back to their room. Upon entrance they found a very content, very loud snoring teammate of theirs, surrounded by plates of various Mexican foods. Stifling a small chuckle, Kobra slumped into the bed opposite the sleeping man. Poison rolled his eyes as he headed for the bathroom, cleaning up the dust that coated his hands. The remaining man went to slip off his jacket and boots, despite the fact that his work wasn’t that bad, in this heat he still managed to work up quite a sweat. Slumping onto Ghoul’s bed, Jet let out a sigh, taking the half-eaten plates of food made him want to gag. He threw the bundle onto the floor with a sigh before stretching out.

Staring at the ceiling with brows furrowed, he recapped the last few days. It was an odd feeling, going from the terror of losing a teammate back to normal, was the terror still there? Not really, they knew Ghoul would pull through this. Turning to roll onto his right side and face the damaged wall he closed his exhausted eyes. Even being in this kind of environment was exhausting at times. It was all a false sense of security; they could be walking right into a trap… just those thoughts get to you. He shook off the idea as he waited for the leader to reemerge.

Minutes later Poison did just that, stretching with a long yawn. Jet pushed him out of the way to handle his own mighty needs. With another yawn, Poison squinted his eyes, trying to get the blur to fade. He felt dead on his feet at this point, he was so used to never getting sleep that the prospect of sleeping in a real bed was orgasmic. He joined into the same bed as his brother and let out a louder yawn slumping on his side and curling up. Poison passed out almost straight away.

Kobra pushed his brother slightly. “Fatass,” he mumbled, as he rolled over on his side trying to get comfortable. He only could stay in this position for a few minutes, part of him nervous, the other excited. He might have a bike again soon! Smiling softly to himself, he didn’t even hear Jet slip back into his bed, all he could imagine was being on the road again. The way the chrome looked through the visor of his helmet and the salty scent of sweat that dripped down his body when his protections lipped off and he stood there, truly a man. The thoughts lulled him into vivid dreams, bright nameless colors and ever changing shapes, all played out against the bright white of the Summer’s sun.

 

Waking up the next morning, dust particles dancing in the air as a small irritating noise overtook the room. Jet let out an unhappy moan at this; he just wanted to get some fucking rest after yesterday. Nonetheless, his dark lids slowly lifted, squinting against the white designs on the opposing wall. Once again that bastard sun deciding to give him a “wake up” fuck in eyes. Another disgruntled noise emerged from his thick chapped lips. His eyes darted to the source of the throaty grunts. “Ghoul, if you’re gonna fuck your pillow, at least wait till we go o-” eyes widening in realization at what the man was doing.

Ghoul was mid-battle with his wheelchair. He swore softly as the damn thing snapped shut, crushing his hand in the process, he almost howled with pain. Unable to hold himself up, he was hunched against the wall like a crushed croissant on the ground. The aggrieved arch of his spine was as painful to look at as it was to be in. Yanking his reddened hand back he let out a fresh string of swears, shaking the damn thing to try to get the feeling back into his digits. Cracking his swollen knuckles, he focused back on getting the damn chair to open up, completely unaware of the sympathetic gaze in his direction. He was always a strong fighter, and he didn’t want the guys thinking that he was giving in because of this shit. He was tougher than that!

His teeth let out a loud crack noise as they clashed together again, brows furrowing in frustration. He’d been working on getting the damn thing to open up for nearly two hours. Doing it was a challenge in itself, let alone having to censor his volume for the sake of his teammates. Once again, he would never let them know how bad this shit was. They may have been his team, but they were still men, and he wasn’t gonna be the butt of the goddamned joke.

Jet watched the man sadly, he understood how it felt. Well, not so much that he’d been there before, but that empathy. Ghoul had always been the fiercest, the one willing to go out guns-a-blazin'. Being stuck in this room, fuck he must be going stir crazy. No wonder he wanted that goddamned chair to work right. The tall man extended his hand as if to help but withdrew it. He balled his fingers into a fist staring at the rough texture of his thick, yellowing nails. As good as his intentions were he had to let Ghoul suffer through this on his own, there was no other way. Offering help would seem like an insult to Ghoul’s pride, and well, when you’re Ghoul, pride was everything.

The best choice seemed to be laying back, just allowing this to take its toll. Moving silently, Jet managed to get back into a horizontal position. Being sure he was facing away, he just stared intently at the wall, the brothers seemed to be sleeping through it. He just wanted to give Ghoul that chance, the ability to just rest for a moment and have his private struggle, once that was finished he’d forget this entire thing happened. After all, he was just dreaming right? Smirking softly to himself, he closed his eyes again. Yes, just a dream...

Ghoul froze for a moment, keeping his body still while his eyes darted to his side. Out of his peripheral vision, he checked on his three companions. Kobra seemed to be in sloth mode, like he’d been drugged into sleep. Just the thought tugged a frown at the corners of his lips, closing his eyes and giving his head a slight shake he discarded the thought. No way in hell that could happen. Glancing back he noticed Poison sleeping with one leg out and snoring. He always did sound like he was a man when he slept… A man who had a rag stuffed in his mouth, that is. Rolling his eyes, his attention finally settled on Jet. This brought a full on frown to his dry lips. Jet’s breathing pattern was off, it was too quick, too shaky. Fuck, he was awake. With an odd movement he released his grip on the chair. SNAP.

“Fuck,” he snarled heavily once again, pulling his wrist out of that Devil trap. His eyes narrowed. Devil…? D…? Oh, that mother fucker! Ghoul muttered a long string of obscenities. That asshole gave him a faulty chair on purpose! Probably was hoping that fuckin’ thing would snap on him and cut him in half! After all these years of being whacked with that old cane, the old man wanted to finish him off! He couldn’t help but laugh at his own little joke. One day that man was gonna put his eye out and he would never let him forget it. A small smirk spread across his face until the throbbing in his hand reminded him of that blasted chair.

The metal gave a small wheeze of protest as it was forced to open again. The various bolts and screws had grown old and stiff from lack of use. Finally with enough pressure and fiddling they snapped into an open position. The seat itself was a murky swamp brown. The cracked center was a cream star in the vast sea of cheap padding. It’s rough irritated edges looked uncomfortable and inflexible, but when Ghoul’s finger applied pressure, he found it to be quite the opposite. Though the plastic-y substance was smooth, with a little give it was still the kind that stuck to your skin and made it feel muggier than you wished. Like the time Poison jacked a few water bottles off some Dracs, not even halfway back to the diner they all had that waxy feeling on their hands. The armrests had the same kind of padding. Thought it wasn’t broken it still had indentation. Someone must’ve put plenty of weight on this baby for a long ass time.

Sighing, Ghoul’s attention went to the pedals, dark as the sky over Zone 6, they went tilted inward. Frowning at the wear and tear on those as well, this baby was a fixer upper to say the least. Sadly, he could feel his muscles growing sore and tired. His breathing became more labored; Ghoul moved his body to slump back down. Eyes closed, his pink lips parted slightly, hot breaths came out in short pants. This was hell, it had to be, and he was being punished for something, wasn’t he? Fuck, whatever it was, he was sorry already!

His lids grew heavy, bobbing up and down like a hipster at an indie concert. Things came to him in small bursts, like watching a series of film clips on a screen. Ghoul was reminded of smoking pot for some reason, how the world felt like a screen, and he was just laying back and watching it. First it was just the light moving against the wall, different intervals, a montage of life. The noises, he could hear snores growing, fussier, the sign that they would soon be waking. Squeaking of angry mattresses soon followed, the protest and give of unwilling springs. Blackness. Feet on the ground, the small taps of carpet versus the deeper thumps of tile. Water rushing through pipes and their own groans through the drywall, a loud creak when the water was cut. More black. Voices, deep and raspy from their slumber, no words, just the guttural sounds of a half asleep Poison, obviously pissed off at missing his beauty sleep. Kobra's softer voice, a bit more hopeful, but slower, carefully planned out. Ghoul could hardly open his eyes; they weren’t willing to submit to him. Jet’s own groggy voice joined the mash up of tones; the throbbing in Ghoul's head gave the entire thing a beat. Bang, bang, bang, soft mumbles, bang, bang, bang, raspy irritants, bang, bang, groggy alto.

The sickening song was starting to make Ghoul’s stomach churn. He felt like screaming but his throat didn’t want to work. A sigh seemed to match his need, it was all it took for all the noise to stop, all attention snapping to his form. The whoosh and taps of bodies moving, the warmth of another living being close by, his lids finally managed to part to see Kobra, flashes of white light surrounding him. His lips parted seeing a jar in the man’s hand, sweet, mother fucking relief. The acidic taste of herbs filled his mouth, a small chunk of dirt made him hock some out, but he managed to down the rest happily, tears stinging his swollen eyes. The herbs always made him feel a bit woozy but those fuckers really did the trick, within a few minutes you felt like you were floating on cloud nine. 

Kobra watched the injured man with worry, eyes darting to the now opened wheelchair he frowned. “I told you not to push it,” he all but hissed at the injured man. As laid back as Kobra could be, it did piss him off when someone directly disobeyed what he warned them against. “Now listen to me, you’re gonna lay here and get the fuck better, so we can move on, got it?” Kobra’s tone took on a strict command that was usually reserved for Poison. He was the medic here, goddammit!

A small groan of agreement came from the bedridden man. Closing his eyes, he let himself relax, back to his symphony of torture. Bang, bang, mother fucking bang.

Raking his thick digits through unruly curls Jet sighed, shaking his head. He decided against telling the guys what he saw this morning. Once again, the bitter taste of a man’s pride founds its way into his mouth. He tugged a few small rocks out of his dry, spoiled hair. The sun has really been doing a number on him, taking his normally dark hair to a lighter shade, the lighter it was, the more brittle, the more brittle…well, the more shit he had to pull out of it. It was like a freakin' jungle in there.

Scratching at his nose, Poison winced; tugging some of his sun burnt skin off. On average, he didn’t burn to bad, but his nose always got to peeling. Tossing the bits of discarded tissue to the side, he flicked his fingers trying to get whatever was stuck under his nails out. Running a hand through his dyed locks, he coughed. “A'ight let’s head out, try to get ahold of the old man and see if there’s any other runnin' ‘round he needs done.” Nodding to the two able men, he headed out the door.

Kobra lingered a few minutes longer, checking Ghoul-- he seemed to have passed out. That was the best for now, shaking his head with a sigh, Kobra trudged to follow his brother, the least they could do was thank D for forcing Pony out there to drop that shit off. Deep footsteps sounded through the hallow of the staircase, two sets of rapid and one set of slower, planned thumps. The noise drowned out the squeaks that steps normally made. It was less creepy than normal, thank god for that.

Beams of light shone through the less dingy glass of the entrance. After their work yesterday everything looked a bit nicer. The biggest offenders, cobwebs and thick dust, were now gone. Though everything was still faded and covered in a film of dried dirt, it made the place look more put together, at least. A few florescent bulbs flickered with unease as they walked underneath, Kobra had a feeling he knew what awaited him when they returned. Gaze narrowing on a small scuffed stepstool that confirmed his fears, he groaned as he caught up to his brother and Jet grabbing breakfast burritos left on the counter, still steaming from the freshly scrambled eggs inside. He could see the red of the salsa leaking out from his brother’s tortilla, and feeling his mouth water, he snatched the third plate. It was wider than his fist and long enough to hang over the edge of the plate. The steam danced up to caress his face in its warmth and spicy scent, and he dove in happily. 

Stomachs satisfied and flasks filled, they finally headed out. It was a bit cooler today, high nineties; the biggest relief was the humidity was low. It wasn’t that heat that got ya, it was that damn mugginess, it made you feel sticky, and sluggish. Those were the days it was dangerous. Going straight for the CB they used yesterday, Poison placed out his call for Dr. Death Defying. Tapping his hand against the wooden wall he awaited his response, the Air was dead. Poison frowned, trying all of their frequencies, nothing. This was bad, very bad. Grimacing, he looked to Jet and Kobra, upper lip curled up slightly. He knew something was going down, he just knew it! Normally they at least left a transmission running, even if they were moving! This was bad, so fucking bad!


	3. Sand in the wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And D and Pony make their arrival. Ghoul is still struggling with his wound and adapting to being part of a go-go-go group while being held back. How much longer can he suffer? And with news of disaster with Kobra's mysterious love interest, can Jet handle the guilt of not telling him? How long can they honestly stay in this town without bringing wreckage, or revealing themselves?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheezes, I'm actually updating, go me.

Swearing softly, Poison led them back out into the heat. They couldn’t go running into this situation blindly, that could be exactly what Better Living wanted them to do. Running his hand over his sweat slicked forehead, the leather of his glove stuck to his skin slightly, he tugged it back and shook his head. “Alright, we’re going to get some coffee, decide what we’re doin’ next,” he said, sighing heavily. This shit wasn’t usually his style, but they were already one man down and had no idea how many they could be up against. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Poison leaned on the door to the diner, pushing it open with his body. Once his men were in they slumped into the nearest open booth in silence, brows furrowed, all deep in their own thoughts.

Were D and Pony alright? Were they even alive? Kobra swallowed, they could always head out and check on them, see if the Transmitter was actin' up again. But if they were ambushed, one could imagine that Korse and his goons were waiting for them to show up and get their heads blasted in. The thin man closed his eyes and stroked his chin gently. But if the men were okay, then they could help get everything fixed up and back on track, or help them if they were captured… but with Ghoul hurt, the odds were not in their favor.

The waitress from before greeted them where they sat, “Coffee, I take it?’ She arched a brow, her cheap looking press on nails drumming against her order book. The men in front of her looked like hell, pretty beaten emotionally, the red head nodded weakly and she headed to get them their fix, there was nothing a decent cup of coffee couldn’t fix.

Poison slumped back down tugging at his locks before pulling himself together, he was the leader, he had to think of something. Without him the entire thing would fall apart. Smoothing back his greasy mane, he sighed. “Alright, we have two options here, we stay here and wait for a response… Or we go in, and pull those fuckers out,” his voice was deep, eyes sweeping along the two other men, darting back and forth seriously. 

Jet was the first to speak. “We can’t,” he replied coldly, “It’d be a suicide mission, if D and Pony are…” his voice broke off “It’s no use to anyone if we’re all dead…simple as that.” As harsh as it sounded to say it, it was obvious, if D and Pony died for this cause, they died. It was the risk everyone took with this lifestyle, they were grown men…

A different opinion popped up with Kobra. “They would do their best to come and help us,” he added and gave Jet a bit of a look. “If they are hurt I need to get to them right away, they need treatment. We have to do it, and need to go n-”

“Kobra, we’d be outnumbered! It could just as easily be a trap,” Jet snapped back harshly with a glare. “Ghoul’s already hurt, if we die out there we’d be abandoning him too! Leaving him here with no one, and he could just as easily be turned in!’ The older man hissed under his breath, glancing back up as their waitress came with three mugs of steaming drinks on her tray. Each tapped against the table as they were placed in front of each man, the three nodding in thanks as she walked away.

“They could just as badly need medical attention, and I sure as hell am not gonna wait around and risk letting them croak if they do!” He hissed back, grabbing his mug and sipping the drink, giving Jet a long hard stare. “What's the point of this charade?” he shot toward Poison. “There should be no question in your mind! We need to go out there this instant!” he said, slamming the cup down. Some of his coffee splashed onto the table.

Poison stared at him with a small frown. “We can’t,” he finally spoke, firm and sure. The look of shock on Kobra’s face was enough to make him take a breath in. “I swore D a long time ago that if anything like this happened that I wouldn’t head back for him, it’s the same with us. Shoe on the other foot? They would wait, and if there was a report on us goin' through the waves they’d know… If not he’d assume we’d gone AWOL…” closing his eyes Poison shook his head weakly “We gotta keep this going, even if it means we’re on our own,” he grabbed his cup heading to take a sip when Kobra grabbed onto the cup.

“How the fuck can you say that?” Kobra glared at his brother, tears forming in his eyes. “How… How can you...” he swallowed thickly and closed his eyes, as much as he understood it, he refused to believe it. His eyes opened again, looking up. The hazel orbs were shining, holding back tears. Closing them, Kobra managed to fight them off and gripped his coffee mug. The heat clinging to the glass burned slightly but it was better than breaking down.

Poison swallowed and shook his head, sipping his drink in silence; a heavy moment came over them all, a moment of mourning. The mindless chit-chat of the wave heads behind them was white noise. Not really words, just babble and bullshit. The door opened yet again, most likely another hollow person coming in, no one even looked up till the familiar whir of a beaten up motorized wheelchair came in, paused and was soon followed by the sounds of ‘click clack’ on tile, soft whispers in an argument no one needed to know about.

Poison’s head was up like a shot, his eyes fixed on the two newest patrons, it seemed everyone was staring. The slender man in polka dotted tights was trying to push an older man’s wheelchair. The older man was glaring up at him and smacking his hands, his own calloused hands and thick knuckles coated in dirt and sweat.

‘An- I told ya for the millionth time I don’t need yer help!” he growled to the younger man, dark eyes fixed on Pony’s fiercely. The younger man gave him a stern look back, jutting his hip out and crossing his arms, fingers tapping against his dry elbows as he sighed rolling his eyes at the man. The looks soon fell onto him and he flushed slightly.

“Come on, you old goat,” he mumbled, ignoring D’s heated protests he gripped the handlebars and rolled the chair over to the three men sitting still as stone with shock on their faces. Pony rolled his eyes and scratched at his head, some sand falling loose as he sat next to Poison pushing him over with his hip. “Hey big butt,” he flashed one of his big smiles and looked around, “So, is there like a reset button or something?” he arched a brow waiting for a reply.

“I-I... yeah,” Poison coughed out “The fuck are you guys doing here?” The leader was clearly shocked at their sudden appearance. “Why the fuck didn’t you leave something on the station, o-”

“Our goddamn signal went down,” D hissed back, his fingers impatiently tapping against the seat of his wheelchair, dirty, gritting nails causing gold specks of dirty to fly onto the padding. He grumbled and motioned the waitress over. “Gimme a cup of joe, Crash Queen.” The violet haired woman nodded, quickly returning with two more mugs for the newcomers. Dr. Death Defying took a long swig of the drink as Pony sniffed it appreciatively before taking a much smaller sip and set the cream colored cup down with a gentle clack. D ran his hands through his long greasy hair before he sighed, continuing. “Been working on that fuckin' thing all morning, the goddamned cock sure just won’t do it.” He grumbled a few more swears under his breath and shook his head.

“We did our best to find you guys,” Pony added softly, rubbing his dirty knuckles. “It just took a while because someone decided not to listen to me,” He rolled his eyes and a small smirk stretched on his pink lips, snickering at the sheer thought of D’s eyes from under those shades. He knew he was getting a look, but who the fuck cared, he couldn’t do anything about it!

D grumbled a bit more, words slurred together although the swearing was obvious in his gravely cracked voice. “So you came here,” Poison added with a small sigh. He slid down into the booth, closing his eyes and shaking his head, a flurry of red danced back and forth in the gleam of the light. “Well, we should probably take you in to see Ghoul, he's…he isn’t in the greatest state,” Poison quietly admitted and closed his eyes yet again.

Pony frowned softly at this. “Well did you get his chair set up? Maybe getting out would help ‘im some?” He offered, but his face fell further as he saw the matching grimaces on Kobra and Jet’s faces.

“That isn’t the best plan right now,” Jet replied smoothly. “He can hardly hold himself up, let alon-” The tall man cut himself off, shaking dark curls and starting over. “We aren’t gonna push him right now, his ego is already imploding on itself… he just…just…” A groan came from his throat and Jet tugged at the knotted waves in his hair.

The blond shook his head in agreement. “He’s losing it,” Kobra added simply with a sigh before sipping down his bitter drink, wincing slightly he moved to add sugar… another sip, it was just the bitter taste of failure in his mouth, clenching a fist he stared into the dark abyss that was left in the cup, his face an unreadable mask.

D's heavy brows furrowed. “That bad eh?” He grumbled, adjusting hismelf in the old ratty thing he called a chair. “I’ll talk to the young'in, see if I can get him to snap the fuck outta it,” he rasped out, leaning against the back of the chair. Dr. D took another large drink finishing the rest of his mug and arched a brow at Pony till he refilled it, coughing a few times before he spoke again. “I know how it can feel,” he patted his bum leg and looked up to the four men looking his way. “It’s hell on earth sometimes.”

“Well it’s upstairs and we don’t got all day,” Kobra managed out and looked up, a smirk now playing on his lips as his brow arched. “Are we gonna sit here talking about this shit, or we gonna do something?” The group turned to him fighting shock, it was creepy when he changed moods like that, and nonetheless everyone began shuffling out of the old booth, Poison throwing a few carbons on the table for their waitress before heading out of the doors. Briskly walking to the other side of the sandy road, Kobra laced his fingers through his stained blonde hair, resting them on the back of his head. He half smirked as they kept their pace, he wasn’t gonna sit around and fuckin’ mope over the woulda coulda shoulda’s. He would fucking change this shit or die trying.

Jet jogged ahead once they were inside, it would be easier to bring Ghoul down than it would be to force D upstairs. Marching up the creaky stairs in a matter of seconds he burst into the room to find Ghoul laying on his side weakly staring at the wall, the dark circles under his eyes amplifying the mood he was in. “Hey man, come on!” Jet called as he folded up the chair and swung it over one of his muscular shoulders. “D and Pony came out here and the old man wants to see ya!”

Before Ghoul could protest he was swept up in the older man’s arms and headed for the door. Letting out a soft noise of protest as he was jerked slightly, Ghoul eventually just gave in and sighed, leaning back against the other man. He shook a bit; form rocked to and fro as they headed down the stairs, the rickety handrail putting him on edge, a sigh of relief passed his lips when they were finally on the ground. Nodding a hello to the two new men as he was set on the couch, Jet started setting his chair up.

Exerting a grunt of force onto the old material Jet grinned a bit to himself when the metal finally locked into place with a loud ‘click’. Taking the smaller man into his arms, he placed him in the seat, a grin still on his lips.

“Well, well, well,” Dr. D began shaking his head slightly. “The fuck did you get yourself into this time, Ghoulie?” He arched a brow and pulled the cane from the bag slung over the back of his chair. He gave the boy a quick tap on the head and laughed as Ghoul scrambled to rub the spot, lips pouted slightly as he looked over at D. “Oh get over it, it’s not like I haven’t done it before, and I sure as hell am doin’ it again!” D laughed, a booming sound that echoed through the room.

“Hey, I’m injured and-!” WHAP. Another blow to his forehead, Ghoul’s face twisted as he grabbed the offending cane about to come down on his forehead for another blow. “Stop that!” He hissed and jerked it back into D’s chest.

The room fell silent, striking D even in an indirect way always meant you were getting your ass kicked. No one in the room so much as took a breath for the longest time, Pony slowly prepared to brace D, waiting for the explosion sure to happen… A soft noise came form D’s throat, sure to be a growl, it soon became throatier and more broken… suppressed chuckles...? The bearded man soon burst out in another round of booming laughter. “That’s the pipsqueak I know!” He managed out through his loud round of guffaws and broke for a few moments, harsh coughs coming along. “Now see you ain’t got nothing wrong with ya, I know it’s pretty fucking shitty to feel useless but if you ‘an stop me, hell you shouldn’t have no problem kickin' some mother fucking ass... ” He smirked slightly his plan laid out.

“Or maybe you’re just getting old!” Ghoul snapped back earning him another couple bonks on his head gripping his dark locks he groaned. “This has to be some form of assault,” He whined with a moan.

Jet rolled his eyes at Ghoul. “Well, at the very least its good to have you back,” he grinned and ruffled the man’s hair chuckling as Ghoul blew a few wayward strands from his vision arms weakly crossed and giving Jet a slight glare.

“What is this, pick-on-Ghoul-day?!” Throwing his hands up in an exaggerated statement of angst proved to be a bad idea, within seconds he was gasping in pain and clutching his side, doubled over and wincing in pain. Four sets of arms rushed forward ready to catch him, he managed to pull a hand away to weakly wave them off, still wincing, as beads of sweat began to form, the taste of bitterness was on his tongue, forcing his jaw to move he ground the herbs up and swallowed looking to Kobra in a weak gesture of thanks.

Kobra nodded, the bit of hope now extinguished from that one wrong move. But that’s all life was anymore, that double edged sword… No. Kobra opened his eyes with a determined look, he said he wouldn’t let himself fall apart because of this, and he sure as hell wouldn’t. “Come on man, let’s get you some coffee and shit,” He spoke, voice firm. He took the chair from Jet and rolled the injured man to the diner across the way.

The remaining men watched blinking for a moment before Poison shrugged jogging after his brother, Jet on the other hand stayed behind, frowning. “So why else are you here?” Despite the distractions you didn’t have to be an idiot to know this wasn’t a social visit. The look the two men exchanged proved his thoughts and he frowned heavily, deep lines lining his large lips.

Pony sighed and pulled a few scraps of wrinkled coffee stained papers from his tank top. If Jet didn’t know better he could have sworn Pony’s hand was shaking a little bit, snatching the crumpled wads he did his best to smooth them out eye scanning along the faded lines and various damages. Jet’s eyes widened and he managed to swallow weakly, dark orbs darted up to meet D and Pony’s soft sad ones. “Where did you get this?” He managed out in a shaking whisper.

Pony shook his head solemnly. “It was out in the papers,” he began, closing his eyes. “Tommy got ahold of an Intel van… they were under the seats when he was stripping for parts…” Pony’s face hardened as he met Jet’s shocked gaze head on. “They’re only copies,” he began again, “So the original files have to be...”

“At Better Living headquarters,” Jet finished and swore softly gritting his teeth and clenching the paper up in his grip, wadding it up, but he removed it, careful not to tear it. “I gotta tell the guys,” He hissed a few more curses passing his lips, a gentle touch was placed on his shoulder. Surprisingly it wasn’t Show Pony, but Dr. D, the sympathy on his face was almost painful.

“I know you liked ‘er, kid,” he started and sighed shaking his head, “But you all can’t afford the distraction right now, both you and I know it...” he shook his head again carefully withdrawing his hand and closing his lids. “'Specially Kobra, he can’t handle this shit,” D added sadly and gave Jet a ‘you-know-I’m-right’ look.

Jet frowned and nodded, looking back to the crumpled paper, staring at it for a few moments before heading to the empty fireplace across the room. Kneeling, he threw the paper inside and produced a lighter from his jacket pocket. With a quick flick of his thumb and the click of the lighter he touched the bright flame to the paper, it caught right up into flames, the last thing he saw of the print was the black and white photo of a pretty girl and the name ‘Molly’ written across it, a proclamation of another member of the killjoy scum alliance that had been taken down, glaring at the papers as it curled into deep black then broke apart to ash, no one had to know... And no one had to suffer.

He turned around to the men who both nodded sadly, Jet’s fist was still clenched, he didn’t have the strength to follow his teammates right now, instead he opted to sink into the couch and pull out the bright colored charm, that he had recovered on their last run, he stared at the neon printing on it for a moment and swallowed clutching his hand back into a fist and lowering his head in mourning.

Across the way Kobra had finally managed to get Ghoul set up at a table, he was fussing and fighting all the way, Poison slumped to Ghoul’s right, it was odd being back so quick but hell, coffee was fucking coffee and it was good at any time. Leaning back, the red-head looked to Ghoul and grinned weakly as the faint tap of heels hitting tile approached.

“You boys back so soon?” Revenge stood there, fresh coat of hot-pink lip stick smack in the middle of her face, she jutted out a hip and arched a brow. Her blue eyes darted from each man and set on Ghoul for a moment, he sneered up at her slightly and she rolled her eyes in response. “Three coffees?” She offered, and headed back at Poison’s nod.

Ghoul glared as her form retreated into the kitchen. “Man, who knew there were so many hookers in this town,” he joked with a filthy grin. “Hell maybe we can round up a few an-” the look Kobra gave him caused his mouth to snap shut, he shot him a glare back and frowned. “What?”

Kobra just studied him for a moment until his glare began to fade and shook his head. “Dude, just chill, we don’t need you startin’ fights with anyone out here and gettin’ someone to call them. We can’t afford to move you right now,” His voice and eyes became stern. “So, simply put, don’t piss off the locals,” he finished, jabbing a finger in Ghoul's direction when he stuck his tongue out in defiance.

Poison rolled his eyes and chuckled softly. “Good to have you back, Ghoul,” he mumbled and gently patted the man’s back. “It’s nice to see Kobra gettin’ butt hurt over you and not Jet,” a few laughs hung in the air as the coffee was served. He took another mug graciously and began sipping it, helping Ghoul get his prepared exactly how he liked it.

Ghoul sunk back slightly and managed to bring the steaming cup up to his dried out lips. He smiled as the warmth and sweet taste flooded his mouth and let out a happy noise of comfort, coffee was good. Oh god how good coffee was. He parted with the ceramics and sighed happily. “Oh coffee, how I missed you,” bringing the cup up to his cheek and twisting his form back and forth weakly he beamed, “I’ll never leave you again, never ever.”

Kobra rolled his eyes and chuckled, not that he was much better, but he just wasn’t so… upfront about his reunion. “Well we can see you and the cup need some privacy, should we leave the room?” He snickered and looked to his brother, brows arched in jest. Poison simply smirked back refusing to part from his drink, he only pulled back for a moment to wait on a refill for his drink. Once Poison got his wishes he laughed softly.

“So, where to next?” Ghoul’s face lit up like a kid's on Christmas, but the look soon fell as he saw the look the two men exchanged, “I mean, I can move now… We… We’re leaving, right?” His brows furrowed as he took a long sip of his coffee. That’s what they said, right? As soon as he could get out they… they would go back?

Kobra frowned heavily, the crease between his brows a dark brown eruption in a sea of tan and red. “Ghoul…we can’t risk moving you yet, we haven’t been attacked so far here and… It’s a few hours back home, the risk of us getting attacked with you in that chair,” he broke off, shaking his head, taking a long drawn out sip of his coffee and sighing. “It wouldn’t be worth it man, I’d rather wait around here and be sure than go running out when we don’t even know the situation… we’re stayin'.” he added firmly giving his brother a ‘this-is-a-doctors-order’ look.

Ghoul’s face fell and he stared into the muddy liquid in his now shaking mug, “You… You’re joking, right?” he whispered softly, the waves of his drink crashing from wall to wall of his cup. “We… We’re… We have to go home!” He finally snapped, drawing the full attention of the diner, the clattering of silverware and small talk ceasing as all eyes fixed on the three.

Poison frowned heavily at this and sunk a bit lower in the booth, glaring the man directly into his eyes. “You’re not fighting this, Ghoul,” Poison hissed at the younger man. “Stop acting like a fucking toddler throwing a fit in public, some things just don’t go your way and right now I agree with him, I’m not gonna risk all of our necks because you won’t sit the fuck still for a week!” He set his drink down with a loud clack as he straightened back up. “And that’s a fucking order!”

The glances and mumbles in their direction seemed to stop, the patrons going back to their own conversations and business. Kobra let out a small sigh of relief, shaking his head he pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. He wasn’t really in the mood for this shit. “Well then, it’s settled,” he finally mumbled out and sighed, refilling his coffee with the last bit in the oversized pot. “Mother fucker,” he swore as the last unwilling drops splashed into his mug, letting out a groan of annoyance he flagged down their waitress. “Can we get more?”

The woman shrugged and headed into the back, grabbing a freshly brewed pot and walking back out at her own slow, bored pace. Reaching the table again, she refilled their drinks to the brim and placed the container down for them. “Drink up,” she sighed and left them, wiping her hands on her dirtied apron.

Ghoul was frowning again until she left, but he drank his mug up greedily nonetheless. Sighing, he shook his head, “So what’s there to do in this hick town anyway? Any fights? Drug ring? Maybe the big bad bosses have a summer cabin?” he was just throwing ideas out there for the sake of easing his own boredom, he would go mad if he was stuck there much longer, short attention spans, gotta love  
em.

“Sure, then candy will fall from the goddamn sky, and it’ll rain for forty days and forty nights, swimming all the radiation away and bringing forth a new era of peace and green much.” Poison muttered sarcastically with an eye roll for extra effect. “This isn’t no fairytale, princess-boy. And it sure as hell doesn’t have a happy ending,” he all but spat at the younger man, every single word laced with as much venom as a rattlesnake’s bite.

Kobra blinked and frowned heavily. “Jesus, man, fucking cool it, I didn’t know it was bring your diva for drink day,” he muttered and downed the rest of his drink, smacking his lips a bit, he frowned, his brows meeting. “Is this decaf? It tastes off.” The bridge of his nose crinkled and his upper lip rose in disgust. He hated decaf. HATED.

Another eye roll came from the man in the wheelchair. And he complained about Poison being a diva, must run in the family, Ghoul snickered slightly at the thought of infants being born with feather boas and cigarettes snapping their fingers and demanding caffeine laced beverages. Smirking slightly, he grinned at the men. “I pity your mother,” he teased slightly, ignoring the questioning looks he received. No, this was his own personal joke.

Kobra shook it off and kept drinking until the container was once again emptied, it may not have gotten him hyped up but hell they paid for it and it was better than cactus juice. That shit was nasty, especially the time that Ghoul thought it would be a good idea to cut a leaf open, mix coffee grounds with the water and let it sit in the sun until it heated up-- they were sick for weeks and Jet even got a bit high off it. ‘It’s the quenchiest!’ He would never forget that line, Jet was running around in circles and screaming it, must’ve ripped it off that old cartoon about the kid who controlled elements, man that shit was cool. What he’d give to control them. Like a superhero. Stroking the fine hair forming along his jaw line he pictured it. ‘Super Kobra!’ No… no, that’s not it, maybe ‘Kobra of the Night!’ … Nah, too DC…WAIT! ‘The Snake Charmer!’ Yeah, that would be the shit! Mindlessly he hummed a little jingle to himself, patting a beat out on the table, not even noticing his brother trying to get his attention until-- WHAP! He jumped and looked up at Poison.

A look that was about a fifty-fifty mix of confusion and worry was on the red-head’s face. Kobra had all the sudden started swaying back and forth and hummed the tune to the batman theme song… for fifteen minutes straight. He was actually concerned he was like… going freakishly catatonic! “We’re going back to the inn, come on,” he hissed. Man, he did not want to know what was going on inside that man’s head…

Ghoul snickered at the pain inflicted on Kobra, frowning and flinching slightly as the same smack was placed on his gloriously greasy, sweaty head. Muttering obscenities under his breath, he leaned back and crossed his arms, while Kobra pushed him out the door. As soon as the hot wind hit him in the face, the sunglasses went down and the bandanna up. It was one of those quick sandstorms they got. Hot air, grains of sand and rock hitting your open mouth sucked, getting them stuck up your nose, now that was a problem!

“It’s gonna be a day,” Kobra mumbled, tugging his jacket up and pulling his own cover from his pocket, sighing. He hated these storms, they always made his allergies flare up, making him miserable. His eyes would get red and swollen, and his nose would be running one moment then stopped up the next, usually he just wanted to curl up and stay on base on days like that. Though he rarely got the chance, instead he got by on grossing the other guys out with snot rockets… Unless it turned into a competition… It usually did. In the end he would get Ghoul’s snot on his shoe or hands and it would turn into a wrestling match… They were fairly evenly divided on wins with those.

Sniffing the runny liquid that was forming, Kobra pushed the man across the way as fast as he could, praying the old woman wasn’t burning incense. Unfortunately for him it was all over, groaning internally he looked at the papers set out for him and sighed turning to Ghoul. “I’ll get Jet to carry you up,” he swore at the work on his list. Fix the pipes? Unclog the drain? Carry all the boxes down from the attic, great… more dust… more allergies… and more snot.

Jet heard the stomping up the stairs, face falling; of course it had to be Kobra. He sucked it up and just headed downstairs, swooping Ghoul up much to his discomfort, one armed. The wheel chair locked in his other muscled limb. Setting the man down on the bed he pushed a plate of Mexican food toward Ghoul and folded up the chair, he’d already finished his work while they were gone, and wished Pony and D good luck on their way back.

Slumping down on his half of the bed, he sighed, staring at the textured ceiling. It was one of those that looked like it was made of popcorn, he always hated those as a kid, always worried it would fall apart and drown him in those little rough beads and he’d never get out. Seemed silly now but… Isn’t that what they all feared, never spoken, never even hinted at. But losing their beings, drowning in pills, or loss? Jet shook his head, he was being ridiculous.

A few hours later, a very dust covered Kobra entered the room, sneezing and rubbing at the red rims of his swollen eyes. Poison followed, trying not to snicker every time Kobra would sneeze and jump back a bit, bits of snot and spittle flying everywhere. “Cover your mouth,” The leader teased, heading for the bathroom, another hot shower, another good day.

Kobra glared as the man passed him, and headed for the empty bed. He tugged his bandanna out, coughing into it. “Fucking dust,” he managed out between his disgruntled noises. “I hate that shit,” he coughed out again, wiping his nose free of the dripping. “D and Pony leave?’ he asked, looking to Jet with slightly arched brows.

Jet simply nodded, staring intently at the wall. “She’s probably going to make us redo these old ceilings. I haven’t seen any like this since I was a kid,” He mumbled weakly, and started pointing out places where it was beginning to rot through, some small beams of light from the attic peeking through, various cracks ran the length of the room, he hadn’t really had a chance to lay back and notice them before. They were almost like a design though, every inch of debris was a sign, a medal almost. This place survived the wars, the fights, it was sill standing, it had the same feel as the old woman.

Jet frowned and sat up with a jolt, heading out of the room without another word. He stomped down the stairs quickly, his legs almost a blur. Between the loud bangs and creeks it was like playing a horror movie soundtrack on fast forward. Finally approaching the woman’s door, he rapped his knuckled on the cracked old maple.

Shuffles and soft steps were the only response for a minute, but sure enough the door creaked open slowly, the old hinges protesting the movement with a high pitched screech. Mrs. Palafox looked at the large man, her amber eyes staring softly, the grey mane she called hair was partially braided, some of the beads she had laced into it slipping out and hitting the floor with small cracks. She slowly and painfully knelt to get the offended, but Jet beat her to the punch, looking at the small wooden decorations with a frown on his lips.

“What’s your story?” he finally whispered, and looked to her. “Why didn’t you turn us in? You know who we are. Coulda collected that bounty and paid someone to rebuild this place for you...” he wasn’t stupid, just confused at this point. She stood there for a moment like a deer caught in the headlights, but frowned, the deep wrinkles in her face exaggerated until her face relaxed, back to it’s aged wisdom.

“Come, I tell,” She whispered and motioned him to the furniture in the main room, shooing him into sitting down in the large pleather armchair as she took a seat on the loveseat. She stared at her gnarled fingers for a moment deep in thought, unsure where to begin, finally she sighed and took in a deep breath. “I had daughter,” she started in her heavily accented broken English. “She very beautiful, sought by many man, she had…” breaking, she mouthed the words to herself silently and sighed, “Six children. All as beautiful as her. When fires start, she die,” The aged woman’s relaxed mask broke into one of pain and mourning, tears glittering in her dark eyes at the memory. “I took kids, when... When better living come along... Tell me they want to help.” Her voice broke again as a few of the crystal tears fell down the ridges of her defined cheekbones. “They take, they kill… all of them,” Wiping her face with her hands, she not only rid herself of the tears but the pain as well.

Horror. That was the only way to describe the look on Jet’s face. Lips slightly parted and dark eyes bugging out in shock, it took him a few moments to look away, cough and revert his face to normal. He knew BL/ind was cold, but to kids… and, he shook his head, it all made sense now. She kept them around… didn’t rat them out because she had some false hope of revenge… or justice, whatever it was, they couldn’t promise it to her.

“I keep you safe,” She whispered softly, back to her even tone. The gravel in her voice still there, but it was if it were to show that her entire calm mask would break again and the hurt woman would shine through, totally fall apart in front of his eyes. “You keep me safe,” she added at the end with a firm nod, starting to get to her feet.

“They hurt you too didn’t they?” Jet finally looked back to her. “Your hands... they usually look that way then the bones are broken and not set…” He wasn’t a doctor, but he’d lived a while on this earth before it ended. The woman weakly sat back down, the material of the loveseat making an odd squeal from the pressure and movement. “They hurt you and the kids in front of you…?” it was only a guess, but…

Swallowing heavily, the woman shook her head. “No… I tell them no take,” she started weakly and closed her eyes, the pained woman shining through again. “They take something else from me,” she whispered as she looked to the large knuckles in her hands. “They drive over,” she finally mumbled after a few more moments of silence, Jet’s face twisting in agony at the thought.

Worst of all, Jet could see the scene playing out in his mind. The sun beating down on everyone as two men in vampire masks held a woman down. The kids placed in her care trembling between a circle of men in identical garb. How they would tie her hands out, kick her in the side roughly until her squirming stopped, the names they would call her, the threats given if she tried to run, what they would do to those kids... If there was a fate worse than death, it would have to be the experimentation cells in the basement of Better Living. He could almost hear her terrified screams, the crack of her bones as those tons were forced over her aged bones. Her cries of pain when they rolled off and the feeling returned to her misshapen hands. Did the kids try to run? Scream? Cry? Even help? Was that why they were killed? His mouth was too dry to ask, even if it wasn’t he had a feeling his voice wouldn’t give into what he wanted.

Staring at the woman with a different view he just sat there for a moment, unsure if his brain was even connected to his body any longer, if he had the ability to move his legs, to run far away and not look back. But even at the thought he could feel his legs go limp, there would be no running from this problem, and that would never fix it, she was afraid for herself too… Having three body guards staying with her. Of course…

Nodding softly, the woman silently rose, her old bones making soft pops as her joints moved. She left the room and returned minutes later with a dark rust colored drink. “Sip,” she demanded, putting the small cup into Jet’s hands. They shook slightly as the cup was placed into them. He did as she said slowly lifting his arms and drinking, it tasted like… Raspberries and… sherbet..? No, that wasn’t it. But it was close… he kept sipping until the drink was half gone, even that took him a few minutes, his mind spinning, stomach reeling from her gory tale.

By the time he had finished the cup his mind was detached, floating almost. He stared at the wall, sighing softly for a few moments before looking back to the drained cup. A few dark leaves were stuck to the white ceramics. Running his finger around them, he popped it into his mouth, sucking the residue off and sighing. He’d begun to let his cares flow out the window since he finished that concoction, it was only now he looked up and noticed Mrs. Palafox was back in her room, door shut. Frowning, he blinked and looked at the clock, it’d been three hours! He sat up quickly, the shock giving his legs strength. As he looked around, sure enough the sun had gone down and the temperature had cooled.

But, he only sat there for a minute! Five max! Sniffing the cup he had his answer. Groaning, he smacked his hand over his eyes, he could smell the pot from here, he should have known! The dark leaves floating in the cup, the strong sweet flavor as an overlay! She drugged him! Sighing, he glanced at her door again, that pain she must’ve been living through… She just didn’t want him to feel it too; shaking his head sadly he placed the cup down with a tap and headed back upstairs into the darkness of the upper level.

Everyone else was already loudly snoring, he could make out Ghoul mumbling in his sleep to himself, shaking his head and discarding his jacket he moved to slump onto his side of the bed and fidget until he was in a comfortable place on his side, closing his eyes he headed into a world of nightmares, screaming children, blood and death.

It felt like his eyes had only just shut when the sun was already blaring down in Jet’s unwilling face. Letting out a groan of displeasure, the man rolled over with a small noise, burying his face into the pillow and sighing softly, last night's images still flashing through his mind, yet another secret he would probably keep to himself, it made his stomach churn. Slowly he rose from his bed and stretched out, Poison was leaning against the wall tugging a boot on and the shower would be heard echoing in the room.

Closing his lids yet again, Jet sighed and froze. “Oh, shit, before I forget,” he walked over to Poison tugging a slip of paper from his jacket, resting on the nightstand. “We got a mission today, Zone 5 from the looks of it, three raids, not sure if on our side or neutrals but I was told the corpses are piling up.” He handed the paper over to Poison who took it with a small frown, brows furrowed and eyes scanning the slip for the coordinates.

“Then let’s pack up, we gotta move,” The leader barked at his team pausing for a moment and jabbing a finger at Ghoul. He stared at the red-headed man like a lost puppy. “No,” was all he firmly stated, “stay here and rest up, you’ll need your strength for the next time we go out.” Smirking softly he chuckled and tugged on his bright blue jacket, the leather exhaling a sigh of sweat and dust smell, he really needed to get that thing cleaned one day.

The three able bodied men headed downstairs and out of the inn, glasses on and a purposeful stride in their walk the descended on the Trans. Poison couldn’t help but smirk softly, it would be nice to get outta here for a while, slipping into the driver’s seat he felt at home, the engine roaring to life loudly, he sighed happily, revving it again just for the sweet sound of that baby’s engine. Stroking the steering wheel his grin grew wide as she slammed onto the gas, the car lurching to life and spurring them down out of the town, back onto those roads he called home.

Sighing softly, Kobra looked out at the horizon, sniffing slightly, his allergies were still throwing a fit from the day before, wiping at his nose with his jacket’s sleeve he leaned back and looked to the mountains in the distance. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Kobra sniffed again. “Hey man, have you heard any incoming calls for m-…us?” he arched a brow waiting for his brothers habitual snap at what he was hinting at.

“If you mean if the Bli-Bitch has called, no, she hasn’t,” The leader tensed just at the thought, good mood long gone and tone harsh. He hated that fucking bitch, shoulda dusted her when they found out what she was, but nope Kobra had to ‘help’ her. Like fucking always, just wanna move on with whatever they need, look out for themselves… their team, and Kobra has to help anyone who so much as looked their way. “Maybe she finally showed her true colors and went back to working for them, then everything you told her is in the hands of Kor-”

“SHUT UP! She would never do that! Not to us! Not to me!” Kobra snapped back, his innocent question turned into an all-out war, he couldn’t even imagine… She would never betray them… Even hinting at that made bile rise in his throat and anger tear through his heart, his veins were burning and his heart rate increased. “Don’t fucking say that,” he panted out and looked over, eyes furious.

Poison shot his younger brother a heavy glare. “Well Jesus fucking Christ, she leaves the group, goes missing, stops calling you all together, doesn’t even give Pony and D the time of day… We both know she’d rather live, if she was cornered she would throw you under the bus like that,” he snapped his fingers for a cruel emphasis. “She would do it to all of us. Hell, I still say she was a fucking mole, they sent her out here to get to you an-”

 

The man’s rant was quickly cut off by a swift jab to the cheek. The Trans swerved off the road into the soft sand, tires sinking in as Poison countered with a rough uppercut to the man’s jaw line, a sickening smack when his fist connected with his brother’s flesh. That asshole hit him! Over telling him what they all know about that fucking bitch! She was a traitor once, and she always would be. People like that would never change, he knew it, hell they all did! Even fucking Kobra…

The seat belts were soon flying off in the air, the two men lunging at each other fairly poorly in the confines of the car. Their jerking and twisting only landed maybe five punches before Jet leaned forward grabbing both their shoulders and slamming them back into their own doors. He didn’t say anything just gave them a long fierce stare, those idiots should know better than this by now, you’d think they were still five and fighting over a fucking toy one had!

Kobra panted for a moment and gave Jet a look back before slowly nodding, still trying to find his breath he turned back to Poison. “I know you don’t like her,” he hissed out between his gasps, “But she would save you if it came down to that, she would protect you like she’s done many times before,” pausing to catch his breath he continued. “And the fact of the matter is… something’s wrong, Poison. I have no idea where she is and she wouldn’t just pull this on us, and yeah I mean us. She cared about the entire group…”

Poison shot him a heavy glare back and turned to the wheel forgoing the seatbelt and taking off silently simmering as they headed for an unnamed route. He was gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles looked bleached, hands shaking and he couldn’t think straight, he knew he was right. He always was when it came to shit like this, Kobra was just blinded by his emotions, couldn’t see what was going on right in front of his fucking lovey dovey face. That girl was using him, hell she was probably using five other guys, making them think she cared, getting to know everything about them and then throwin' em to Bli when she was done with their stupid asses.

Glaring over to the blond again a frown tugged at his chapped lips. Tongue snaking out to sooth the cracked flesh his hands readjusted their tight grip on the steering. He wouldn’t let that happen to Kobra and until that bitch turned up… he wouldn’t let this shit get to him. No matter what, she was dead, if she came back to them he was shooting her, no questions asked, he’d been considering this for a long time and it just had to happen. The was no room for love out here, and those foolish enough to fall into it might as well head on back to Battery and give themselves up for torture and death. That would be kinder.

Finally the car slowed, swerving slightly as they drove off the road back onto hard sand. Poison always preferred the sand to the road, he liked the dust cloud that formed behind him when he sped off, as long as he didn’t get caught into the soft sand, one time he took Kobra’s bike out for a spin and didn’t see the patch up ahead, the front wheel got caught in it and he went flying over the handlebars face first. Sand was coming from his nose for weeks and none of the guys would let him forget that one. No, soft sand fucking sucked.

The site of the raid was harder to find this time, they must have spent a good three hours aimlessly driving through the heat, windows down listening to the waves for any hint of where the fuck they were going. No abandoned campsite, no unattended cars, and no corpses. Just the eerie silence of uninhabited desert. Normally when this would happen Poison would suspect a trap… but they’d been driving in circles this whole time, no trip wire, no alarm, no white car rushing at them for all it was worth. It was just them and whatever indentations their tires left in the sand as their tracks.

The sun was beginning its descent down behind the mountains and their morale seemed to follow, the tension from earlier mixed with an inconclusive mission turned them sour and bitter. Poison had been hoping to vent his frustrations out on some dumbass Dracs, Kobra hoped there would have been someone to help, someone to save and explain what was going on out here. There was nothing, why were they so set on raiding?! Jet…well Jet just wanted those two to get over their petty little bitchfest and move on, acting like they adults they were supposed to be. Even the role-models that they were made out to be, right now they sure as hell weren't even close.

Heading back for their base was only logical; Poison turned the Trans around causing a dark cloud to form behind them, almost chasing them away from here. Nighttime in the desert was always creepier, the chills set in, no light, it made a man see things, things he didn’t want to. Usually within himself, why does introspection always occur in the creepiest places?

The drive was well undisturbed, Kobra kept himself hunched over his blaster ready to pull it at a moment’s notice the entire time. It was just too odd. They were sent to a recent hit…this should have been a huge hot spot, crawling with Dracs. Cameras should have been all over em and they should have been hunted down like usual. He shook off the thoughts as his eyes scanned the horizon, no lights, no movement, swallowing thickly he closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

Poison’s eyes narrowed as they came upon the faint lights of the town, no drop ins… nothing. Something about this situation made him feel sick to his stomach, it was like if you jump into piranha infested water and you’re not getting your ass chewed to hamburger meat, it means there’s a shark around. Gripping the wheel tightly again he slammed on the gas pedal the engine roaring in protest as they flew forward, effectively slamming Kobra against the dashboard.

“Man, what the fuck?!” Kobra snapped as he jerked his head back to face him, eyes furious. “I get it, you’re fucking pissed off at me, but Jesus fucking Christ at least say it instead of slamming me against the-” His voice dropped off seeing Poison’s expression.

He wasn’t angry, glaring or about to say something thoughtless that he would regret later. There was no raised fist or gun, nor was he about to slam on the breaks to chew him out. Poison almost looked sick with worry. That’s right ladies and gents, the Party Poison, leader of the fabulous Killjoys, was worried. His eyes were narrowed and his skin almost glowed in the night it was so pale. Sweat was forming and streaking down his face and neck, his knuckles bright white. But the thing that tipped off anyone who knew him well enough… was his mouth. His lips were pressed tightly together bits of blood peeking through the thin chapped flesh he was pushing them so hard.

This made Kobra’s stomach churn so loudly it was actually making squish noises. Something was wrong and something was about to blow up in their faces, The car swerved back into it’s spot in front of the inn, Poison said nothing retrieving the key from his ignition and darting inside, Kobra followed, oh god, what if this was all a trap?! They were lured away and left Ghoul completed unable to protect himself! He could have been taken! He could have been killed! If anything happened, Kobra knew it would be his fault and even if nothing happened it would STILL be his fault for what COULD have happened. He was the one that insisted Ghoul stay…oh god. He gagged softly as he ran up the stairs and down the hall to the door sitting slightly ajar.

Seeing his brothers back the man fought off rising tears as she curved past his body to see…Ghoul sitting up against this headboard magazine in hand and plates of food all around him, bundled up in what looked to be freshly washed sheets and his feet soaking in steaming water. “Hey guys,” Ghoul sighed with a dreamy look on his face. “That Mrs. Palafox sure knows how to heat a footbath,” he grinned and slumped back, resting his wet feet on top of the blankets. “Ahh, yeah,” he sighed again.

Jet came rushing in, the same thoughts purging his mind, seeing the man he frowned and tugged at his hair. “I don’t wanna sleep on wet blankets because of you!” He groaned out and moved to flop on the bed; his muscles had grown stiff from the drive and being stuck still. Clean blankets made him sigh softly; they felt like the perfect caresses for his tired form.

Poison rolled his eyes and chuckled as he began to strip down, heading for the other made bed. It looked nice, you know maybe the old bat wasn’t so bad after all, they got the occasional meal, clean sheets, and they hadn’t been sold out yet. This was a nice break form scourging by in the desert. He sighed as he lay out on his back and stared blankly up. How long would this last though, when would he have a chance to go to his real life? He shrugged off the question, it was unimportant; the fact was they were stuck here until Ghoul healed up. Every day he seemed to do a bit better but, how much of this was an act. He knew Ghoul was just as antsy to get outta here as he was. If Poison was in the same place he would probably fake as much as he could to get the hell out, not be the one to drag the rest of the team down and deal with the disappointment, the failure.


	4. Lifelines and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While working on the town, the joys run into some locals. From a shy garage owner to a loudmouth waitress. The boy's future starts to become impacted by these people, making it even more dangerous to stick around. If better living were to focus on them at the right time, it would spell disaster for them all.

Whiskers shot up, squinting at the glare of the sun hitting him directly in his still tired eyes, jumping violently and flailing out of bed, succeeding in tugging the blankets off of him and his companion. Fabric fell over his slightly pained form and he groaned, a few sharp swears passing his lips, hand groping for the nightstand and his glasses. With a bit of a wobble, he grabbed them, shaking his head. Managing to get them on after successfully poking himself in the eye twice, getting to his feet. He turned and nudged the woman to his side.

“Nnnunf… fuck off!” Revenge mumbled into her pillow curling up in a ball and tugging it close to her chest. With a quick swing her legs encircled it as well. She let out a contented noise until he jabbed her again, and she snarled, weakly sitting up. “What?”

Whiskers glared at the woman, lips pressed to a perfect line. His index and middle fingers pushed the glasses to the bridge of his nose, eyes narrowing. “Revenge, how many times to I have to tell you when you come in late to go into your own bed?” He said voice low and slightly dangerous. He moved to change out of pajamas and into normal greasy clothing. Shaking his head, he reentered, eyes fixed.

Revenge sat up stretching, her hair falling down in sweaty ringlets. Pursing her lips she thought back to the previous night’s actions. “I dunno but you sure as hell talk a fuckin’ lot?” She replied smoothly heading into the two canvas bags thrown carelessly in the corner and digging for a roll of unwrapped bandages, jeans and an apron before slipping into his bathroom.

“Goddammit, do you ever wear clothes?” Whiskers swore, shaking his head before looking away. When he planned on renting a room it meant the couch in the living room, not his own! Pinching the bride of his nose slightly he finally headed to the small kitchen, tearing through it to grab some coffee. This was a sweet break from the usual dirt and grease smells he was accustomed to.

Revenge came out a few minutes later, water dripping down, rubbing her sore shoulders gently with a bag slung over her arm, she sank into the couch setting up mirrors, tubes of half used lipstick and faded palettes of eye shadow.

“God fucking dammit! Revenge, what the fuck?! How many times do I have to go over this! Stop showering every day! You’re gonna get my ass kicked and...!” Groaning and tugging his hair, his own locks were so oily it made the grease stains on his hands come to life, blinking for a moment turned into a furious look.

However, Revenge focused on her mirror carefully applying lipstick, doing her best to avoid her lip ring. Pushing her lips together she didn’t bother looking up “Well I don’t know what I should do then Maybe go live on the streets? Find a guy who will beat me and stay with him?” Sighing, she looked over with a pathetic expression.

Whiskers snarled heavily at her. “I am so sick of this whiny selfish act! If you’re gonna live here you need to learn some respect for once! I know you need a place to stay but don’t you dare try to guilt me out of this!” Groaning he went through the cupboards.

“I think you’re just being a dick!” Revenge called back, smiling at the reflection of herself taking time to smooth out the gentle waves of her hair. Puckering her lips at herself, to give them a fuller look. God, she was sexy.

That was it! Whiskers stomped across the room to Revenge, his normally calm demeanor long gone. “So what is your paycheck gonna go to, more make up?!” Snapping at her and crossing his arms heavily. He’d let too much slide for too long.

Revenge blinked up at him smirking “Oh, come on... It takes a lot to look this good!” She flipped her hair and pouted her lips slightly, letting out a scoff. “Whatever, man, you just don’t get it,” she dismissed him with a flick of the wrist, not seeing the expression of pure rage on the man's face. First a yellow-tinted pale, changing to a deep furious red, he was shaking, in a furious state, like a cartoon character blowing smoke from its ears.

“OUT!” Whisker shouted at the top of his lungs jabbing his index finger in the direction of the door, “Out! Out Out! I can’t take your shit anymore! Take your makeup! Take your fucking clothes! Your judgments and your goddamn high heels and get the fuck out!” He stomped with each new word.

Snarling she stood, gritting her teeth. “Fine then! I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone!” She tossed her makeup back into a canvas bag, grabbing the others and flinging them onto a couch. She tugged on her boots one at a time. “Mother fucker,” she muttered ungratefully, she slid one on. “Can‘t believe this!” She hissed with the second and stood, flipping her hair as she passed the man and swaying her hips. She would show him! He was fucking wrong!

Breathing heavily Whiskers watched her depart, standing there for a moment longer. Silence. There was no whining or bitching, no one throwing a fit, no blow dryers or constant jabber, no impatient ‘click-click’ of over-sized cheap plastic heels on the tile of the kitchen, telling him to get off his ass and buy something, it was a paradise. Enjoying this moment, he finally shut the door heading for the couch and laid himself down listening to nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears, wow, he stood up for himself, and more importantly he was done with that snobby bitch Cellophane Revenge...

The snobby bitch herself walked with a huff down to her first job, a waitress at the local diner. Her yellowing teeth were grit into a nasty snarl as she trudged into the building, ignoring everyone she passed and flinging her bags into a corner of the break room. She huffed a few more times and bit her hand letting out a small scream into her flesh, this always ended up happening because she had to go and open her big mouth!

Running her fingers through damp hair, she shook her head furiously. Why couldn’t she just learn to shut up sometimes?! It would end up saving her a ton of shit! Giving her bag a firm kick, she sighed, balling up. She panted for a moment, letting the rage fade into regret. She, she could go back on break... yeah, stop by his shop with some take out and apologize and say she didn’t mean it, that was perfect!

Swallowing and looking to the cracked mirror hung crookedly from sewer-grey walls, she fixed her hair taking in a few deep breaths. “You can do this,” she mumbled to herself and looked around. Hearing no one she sighed in relief… Of course a little extra help couldn’t hurt…

The small baggie she tugged out of her jeans seemed harmless enough, inside the bits of brown and white chunks shifting. Smiling a bit to herself and inhaling the chemical scent. It was a bit like sniffing the air under a sink, slightly damp and grungy, but there was a small thrill making all of her hair stand on end, shivers racing down her spine deep to her tailbone. Almost panting now, Revenge felt her entire body shaking with need. Licking at her dry lips, she reached into her bag. Not enough time for a full session, but more than enough for a quick hit. She stuffed the powdery substance into the metal ring of a glass pipe, making sure it was deep down and fully prepped.

A flick of a lighter, inhale, exhale, strange smoke too thick to be from a cigarette flowed around her head. It had a stronger smell than the powder. Mouth watering for more, another flick, another cycle, time itself slowed down, her pupils dilated. All the dull dirty colors of the break room had become vivid, dancing a sick tango. One hit turned to two, and two to six… body shaking in a different way as she turned to the mirror, her pupils were the size of pins, the whites bloodshot. She blinked a few times and closed her eyes, trying to wash them free of irritation.

This process usually took about fifteen minutes, the deep red slowly recessing. Revenge would have killed for eye drops, something that was once stored in her purse every day, now hard to find. Those losers out in the desert could use them. Dressed to the nines in vomit inducing colors and patterns. Not that they seemed to care about aesthetic value. Everything was practical with those fuckers. Shaking her head she winced and hid the pipe back in her bags.

After wiping her hands on the off-white apron, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at her slightly dazed reflection and waving at it, the fight was already long forgotten. Her tongue ran over her chapped lips as she nodded at her reflection, before heading out into the diner. Opening was always a pain in the ass but it gave her time to focus on things, or, well, forget them. Wiping each table clean of dirt that found its way over the counters and tables was usually the best way to start. Quick circular motions on each table a few times, and bam. You were done before you knew it! Wiping the floor was another matter, if you just slopped water around it made a bigger mess and the boss threw a bitchfit. Don’t apply enough and bits of caked in dirt and mud stuck making it ‘unsanitary’. Splashing some dirty water that was blended with some cheap ass cleaner sure didn’t help!

The remaining work was simple, folding napkins around utensils, wiping off trays, plates, and menus. Trying to make it look like everything wasn’t shot to shit. Why didn’t they just get proper supplies?! Revenge frowned pursing her lips slightly, she hated this dump, and the worst part was she could never save up enough to get out. To go home, back to the streets she loved, San Francisco. Oh well, at least it was something to aim for, sighing she headed to flip the closed sign open.

Within an hour the diner had a handful of patrons, needing their coffee. The usual customers were there, Mrs. Lee with her bright smile, one of her front teeth was chipped off to a jagged edge, and sometimes she'd cut her lower lip and cry out. That woman had a mouth on her worse than a drunken sailor with Tourette’s. Revenge shook her head and poured the woman her coffee, getting that famous toothy grin in return.

Some of the teenagers were about, dressed in their bright clothes and bandannas and smoking in a back corner of the diner. One group in particular was the loudest and called themselves the “death threats.” Moving to the rear of the diner Revenge silently filled their cups, hearing them brag about knocking down a ton of ‘dracs.’ What the fuck was that even? She simply chuckled and went back to making her usual rounds, light chat and decent tips.

Shaking these thoughts, Revenge blinked when four men entered the diner. They showed up a few days ago, more idiots in bright colors. The slight squeak of a wheel chair filling the room louder than the various conversations and clacking mugs tapping the table. Chewing her lip she turned to her rounds, those guys could wait, they were pretty quiet. Didn’t kick up a fuss like some of the other freaks.

Kobra stretched out, the door clicking shut behind him. Today was a bit cooler than the last few days. It was a nice break from anything over a hundred degrees, oh hell, even the high nineties. He intended to enjoy this god-sent day to the fullest, nothing would fuck his mood up today. The hostess led them to a booth, the cushion protested when Jet and Poison slid down. Sitting onto his own seat Kobra leaned back crossing his arms, the fight with his brother long forgotten. “Holy fuck, today’s gorgeous,” he sighed, ignoring Ghoul’s groan, who was still pissed about being left behind.

Poison arched a brow at his younger brother. “Peppy much?” He muttered, glancing down at the table. “You can tone it down bro, I don’t need two suns burning my face off,” Poison muttered bitterly, tapping the menu down and leaning on his hand, fingers tapping at the table impatiently.

Ghoul let out a small cough, trying to grab attention. Giving in he gripped his wheels and started to roll away. “I gotta piss,” The wheels on his chair made small taps on the uneven tiles. Gritting his teeth, Ghoul tried to ignore the noise, it was putting him at the end of his rope. This fucking chair, this fucking day, and this fucking town.

Kobra arched a brow at Ghoul’s departure. His head snapped up at the sound of footsteps.  
“Can I get you guys anything?” the same voice they’d heard for the last few days spoke in a whisper. There was something off about the waitress today… she seemed different, dazed.

“Uh yeah, I’ll take a cup of coffee and…” he extended the word glancing over the handwritten menu, eyes scanning for something cheap that looked good. “Just some toast..?” looking back to her as she laughed and closed her eyes, hand covering her cheaply colored lips.

“Pfft, what?” She managed out between the small laughs, blank eyes going from man to man. They were all staring at her! What was with this? It wasn’t like she was a giant walking taco! The thought made her laugh.

“Coffee and toast..?” Kobra repeated, obviously something was up with this chick.

Finally her laugh slowed and she took his order. Next was Jet, who just stared for a moment, trying to decide if this chick was on pills. Maybe they should just take off... “Same thing,” he muttered, focusing on her movements, anything too erratic and he would be the first one to spring up...

Her eyes set on Poison last as she wobbled and suppressed a giggle. The man stared shaking his head weakly. “Same here,” He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose slightly. “We got someone else who isn’t here, just get him the same thing,” he sighed through frustration. The girl was clearly high off her ass, plain as the sun in the desert sky.

Revenge bit her lip and scribbled the rest of their order, turning, and stumbling slightly. Poison shook his head once she left. “Fucking druggies all over here,” sighing and rolling his eyes, anyone still using street was an idiot, not only were they expensive, but even nastier than before. Shuddering slightly he looked to Jet, brows meeting. “So we got a mission today?”

Looking to Poison, he gave a quick nod. “We’re heading back out to check that hotspot, something’s out there, I just know it, it’s what D and Pony want anyway.” He looked up feeling the others' eyes on him.

“It’s a waste of time,” Kobra hissed back at him, eyes narrowing. “There’s nothing out there, we’ve already confirmed that, I say we head out to the diner and make sure our supplies haven’t been ransacked.” Nodding, he crossed his arms for emphasis.

“Well what if that’s what they want us to do?” He proposed with a smirk “What if whatever they’re really hiding out, there’s something big going on back there- BAM! Evil plan foiled, you’d be like a superhero,” Jet’s smirk grew wider as he watched Kobra go pale.

Color returned quickly, a furious haze on his cheeks and nose, feeling the anger and embarrassment surge. Chewing on his lip, ready to blurt a snappy comeback he was broken by the squeaking of Ghoul’s wheelchair. He clenched his hand into a fist, digging his dirt caked cuticles into the flesh of his hand. It was best not to debate this right now…

Scowling at his chair Ghoul looked to the men around the table and frowned. Kobra looked like he was ready to punch a hole through the wall, Jet with a victorious smirk, and Poison, was rolling his eyes and looked like he wanted to smack both of them with his belt. “What did I miss?” He asked cautiously, like any amount of sound would set this powder keg off, and wick led right up to his goddamn ass.

Feeling the blood rush to the crescent shaped marks, Kobra sighed relaxing his digits. “It’s nothing, man,” He muttered looking down at his palm. Thick dark liquid was pushing up against the thin slices. It smarted a bit but was nice releasing that pent up frustration. Holding his jacket to his palm he hissed, this would be a pain in the ass. His eyes shot up, attention shifting to Ghoul.

Something was up… no one would look him directly in the eye. Someone was in an argument, judging by Jet and Kobra, it had to be them. “You know guys, just because I got shot doesn’t mean I’m made of damn glass,” Ghoul hissed out. “I’m not gonna fucking break down if you tell me what the hell is goin' on,” with each word Ghoul found himself getting more agitated. Sick of being treated like some fucking... He could handle their petty disputes before, but this act wasn’t going to fly anymore. He was a man! And deserved to be treated as such!

Kobra waved him off and Jet just slumped back basking in what was a win. “Don’t you worry about it,” Jet chuckled, crossing his arms to lace his fingers behind his messy mop of hair.

Ready to argue, Ghoul glanced up as the waitress came back, four mugs set on the table. The coffee jug followed soon after, topped off by clinks of plates. The toast looked stale, but it smelled good. Grabbing his cup, Ghoul inhaled for a moment and began drinking it black.

Nodding in thanks, Poison stared at his food taking a weary bite. Edible was always good, and it got points for not being canned. The chunk was soon followed by coffee, eating loudly, he looked over the piece of bread again, mold grew out here easy, nothing green or fuzzy was growin' on this.

Eating was silent and tense. Ghoul watched, finishing his own meal. He hated missing this shit... When everyone was done, Poison tossed a few carbons on the table and headed out. Ghoul lagging behind. They needed some fun, and Ghoul had just the plan to make sure they’d get that. Wheeling up to the guys he flashed his good old, ‘I’m up to something’ grin and chuckled. “So... got any plans tonight?”

“Well I figure the old woman’s gonna work Kobra to the bone… not that, it should be too hard!” Poison smirked at his younger brother, pushing his bangs back with a small chuckle. “I need to redo my hair one of these days too, why?” He arched a brow at Ghoul. He could only wonder what trouble would they be dragged into this time.

Batting innocent eyes at Poison playfully, Ghoul slowed his manic movements to a more relaxed pace. “Well I heard of this place not too far from here, a busy ass bar, and its sounds like a fucking good ass time! They even got booze,” He beamed at the man’s face, awaiting his initial reaction.

Poison furrowed his brows in thought for a moment and stroked his chin as if it was a long drawn out debate. Bars meant fangirls, fangirls led to sex, sex led to awkward mornings and having to share coffee. But, sex... finally he withdrew his hand from his slightly scruffy chin and pointed it at Ghoul. “Alright, but they better have more than that moonshine swill,” he said, and broke out into a grin.

Breaking out into a wild matching grin, Ghoul let out a slight cheer. “Aww fuck yeah!” He chuckled, still feeling a bit stir crazy from being locked up in his room. Being out in public was a major relief. Going out, a godsend and this bar in particular…Well, being stuck in a wheel chair, he could play up the pity factor and get a nice lay. Then again it wasn’t too hard to get a stripper to do what you wanted.

Laughing at Ghoul’s excitement Poison followed. Heading back to the Inn didn‘t take long, before they knew any better, the fab four had spent hours in the room, just laying back and relaxing. A rare moment in their lives, but welcome nonetheless. Glancing out of the window darkness rose. Ghoul headed down the creaking stairs. His wheels bumped and crashed down in a quick motion that made Jet and Kobra reach for him. No one needed his brains scrambled worse.

“Pussies!” Ghoul exclaimed in a taunting tone as the hands trying to each for him fell short and he made his way down the stairwell laughing all the way. His beaming slightly yellowing teeth greeted them, the perfect image of innocence and childishness before he rolled into what little starlight lit the sand awaiting them. The temperature was down a bit, not too low, it was actually quite pleasant. Aside from the twisted shadows filling alleyways, mutated by the moon’s glow. Their boots sunk into the sand, Kobra glanced down, rolling his ankle like a kid warming up for gym, making a small crescent into the softened rock. It was peaceful like this, the faint sound of incest’s wings flapping in the air.

Poison joined up with the Trans a bit, Jet lifted Ghoul on his shoulder and made sure he wouldn’t flop over. His work rewarded by a resentful look from Ghoul. Once the car was filled with men relaxing back in the leather seats, the engine sprang to life and headed out of the sleepy town at Ghoul’s direction. It was only over in Zone 5, pushing it a bit too close to uncharted territory, but the promise of booze rang through any insecurity.

Most of the buildings they passed were warehouses, probably once factories that made metal objects. They were large and hollow looking, many of their dark windows cracked open and covered in enough dirt to give it a light greasy sheen. The spots that stood out were the half shattered, a pitch black porthole to the inner workings. The doors were rusted thick metal with the kind of handles that you had to tug on the bar, but it took quite a bit of strength to make them slowly budge open.

All of these buildings were dark, seeing the one with a light on Poison slowly pulled his car up to it. A handful of small vehicles parked along the building. They ranged from what looked to be the 1960s to more recent models hot off Better Living’s approval, coated in muck and bits of dried paint. Some of it peeled along the doors looking tackier than anything, but it was still better than walking. Slipping from their seats, or carried, in Ghoul’s case, they casually headed for the heavy door, it was hung slightly ajar so a red light could peek through, dim enough not to draw too much attention. A glance passed between Jet and Poison. Jet opened the door; he was tense, ready for a fight. However his mouth fell open at the sight inside. The heavy door creaked open uneasily and unwillingly. The faint sound of old techno music echoed throughout the building. Once-bright lights flashed weakly in the room of the empty warehouse. Jet looked around with unease, shooting Ghoul a questioning look. What the hell? I thought he said this place was amazing... He frowned deeply as they headed inside to look around. Aside from the muffled noises and a single flashing light, the warehouse was empty. Poison sighed weakly, his hand resting on his gun. This couldn't be for real.

"Come on, guys. Open your eyes!" Ghoul snapped, throwing his arms up in a mock act of drama. "Clearly it's hidden! If I found out about it, I'm sure a bunch'a other people did, too." He looked and felt around the wall, trying to find anything abnormal. He knocked and tapped at the metal siding of the warehouse until a metallic 'thunk thunk thunk' resounded in the room. A small rectangular hole slid open at the top of the door, then slid shut almost instantly. Holy fuck! The hidden door swung open, revealing man around Jet's height standing guard. He grunted and permitted the four shocked men entry.

A smug smirk tugged at Ghoul's chapped lips as they made their way into the stairwell. A lot of the walls were a dingy grey. The air was almost pure sweat and BO. A weak neon glow hummed down the hallway to greet them. Once inside, they squinted past the fog machines and cigarette smoke. It seemed like a stereotypical club. Minus the booze, anyway. Girls dancing on cages, poles and stages. Guys getting lap dances were scattered all around the room. Hell, all we need is some purple wearin' pimp to top this place off. Ghoul chuckled to himself, his smirk grew seeing men spank at the girls. Ohh yeah, this is my kinda place.

 

The next morning, Ghoul woke up beaming. “Did you see those titties?" He chirped with a laugh and winked at the guys. Kobra gave him a disgusted look, after about five minutes, it came out who they were. They each had girls to spare. And Kobra, well, Kobra made a run like no one’s business. He said he didn’t like that kind of lifestyle and chose not to partake in it. Fucking pussy, who the hell could say no to free poon tang...?

//

Kobra shook his head in disapproval. Disgusting sluts, how the hell could they even enjoy that?! The memories of those girls were creeping on his mind and he closed his eyes tightly trying to shut them out. I’m sorry if I don’t wanna get something worse than radiation poisonin'. He felt disgusted to even be in the same room as the other three. With a small indignant noise, he headed to the shower in hopes of scrubbing off anything he might have caught in the few seconds he was there.

Poison was the last to wake up, he felt like someone had taken a jack hammer to his head. His migraine had started last night after the loud music. Then with the screaming girls, and having to yell over the music, well it just wasn’t a good mix. He stood groggily, hearing a knock at the door. Who in the hell could that be? He swung the door open, groaning as he did.

The little old woman frowned up at him, her brow creased as she handed him a list of what she needed done. Oh, fuck, I forgot about her. Poison grimaced and nodded in thanks as he looked over the list, noting that it looked like more manual labor. Great, Tthis is just what I need.He sighed heavily as he tore the list into sections and passed part out to each man, knowing today was going to be a long day.

Their daily chores came and went, and before they knew it, their stomachs were growling. Heading back to the diner, they all slumped down in what was quickly becoming their usual booth. Ghoul smirked all the while, all he had to do was wipe a few counters and put rags on his wheels to help dust the floors off. Lucky bastard. Kobra frowned at him, he was stuck dusting the lighting fixtures and ended up falling on his ass twice. His eyes were set on Ghoul making the salt and pepper shakers dance. At least HE'S having fun. Kobra pouted slightly, when their waitress came around.

Ordering their usual, Poison sighed. “I need a fuckin' smoke,” he said, as he scooted down the booth toward the back exit of the diner. He lit up a smoke and inhaled deeply, looking to the horizon. He wasn’t sure if this town was right for them. They would just end up putting everyone in danger. We need to move on. He leaned against the old brick wall, hardly registering the protesting creak of the door as it opened.

He didn’t look straight at the woman coming out, but he frowned, noticing it was their waitress. She stood with a cigarette clamped between her teeth as she shakily looked for a lighter. Her eyes darted to his with a sigh. “Got a light?” She asked, arching a thin brow at him, as he nodded and moved to toss it to her. A few moments later it flew back, landing buried in the sand between his feet.

He arched a brown at her and chuckled lightly; he had no idea what it came from. “Nice throw?" he offered her, as he slowly bent to pick it up.

Her face twisted slightly and he could almost hear her eyes rolling in her head. “Sorry I ain’t no basketball player,” she muttered, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Do you mean baseball?” He offered with a smirk that oozed sarcasm. What the fuck is with her?

“I-I… I...” She stammered like this for a bit, carefully thinking over her response. “S-shut up!” She pouted at him with a glare. Her gaze held for a moment until they both burst out laughing. Something about the awkwardness of the moment was too funny to pass by. Their laughter continued for a few moments before falling into a slightly awkward silence.

Revenge shifted against the wall slightly and swallowed, coughing from the smoke. “O-oh fuck” she managed out between the noises. Poison didn’t even look over.

His eyes were fixed on the town line. How the sun hit it and seemed to make the shadows grow. He finished his smoke before crushing it under his boot with a sigh. He started to go back inside but stopped, instead lighting up a second smoke.

“So you're a waitress?" He asked in an attempt at small talk and arched a brow; it had been so long since he'd had a conversation with someone outside of his team. Well, this is all good and weird.

She looked to him with a curt nod. “Y-yeah” She muttered softly and played with her smoke. She sighed. “You part of a traveling circus or some shit?”

He blinked and chuckled. “You’re funny,” he nodded, inhaling more smoke, “Don’t find many with a sense of humor out here.” He shook his head.

Revenge blinked in confusion and crushed her cigarette. “You’re weird,” she mumbled before going inside to wash her hands and get back to work, leaving the strange man to his own devices. The hell does he mean, a sense of humor?

Poison shook his head and decided to hang behind a bit longer, fully enjoying his concentrated cancer until he was practically sucking filter. Back inside, he slumped down on his seat, seeing the food was already laid out for them. They ate and drank it all into extinction.

Coughing slightly, Kobra was the first to rise; it had been too long since they’d been on a run. Nodding to his brother he headed to run and pull up the Trans, Ghoul was stuck sitting in the back and not allowed to get out in the case of a fight, which put him in a sour mood, but at least he was allowed to come along. The drive seemed smooth enough until they came upon a white car in the distance. Gritting his teeth, Poison swerved up to it, his gun drawn. The vampire clad men jumped up and looked at the fast approaching car, they had been scavenging some loot off of a few dead bodies. They drew their guns in an instant and began their onslaught of the approaching Trans. The air sizzled with both sides firing wildly. One of the Trans’ passenger windows was shattered from a shot. Jet hissed in pain as the glass dug into his exposed collarbone. Ghoul, however, was the one to retaliate, his shots pegging the fucker between the eyes.

Once sure every one of 'those fuckers' was dead, Poison and Kobra rushed to the site with a frown. A couple of girls who looked hardly seventeen were lying there. Shot dead in their sleep, their fire was still smoldering. Poison clenched his fist and hissed between his teeth. With a roar of rage he kicked one of the Drac corpses in the head as hard as he could. A sickening crack echoed when his foot connected to what had once been the Drac's skull. The corpse’s neck was bent at a sickening angle, but Poison didn’t stop there. He was in a full fit of rage, tears streaming his cheeks as he fired at the enemy corpses, scorching their white uniforms while blood soaked through their clothes.

Kobra frowned and grabbed his brother's shoulder trying to keep him from going. “We don’t need to over kill them,” he whispered. He’s got to calm down, if he causes any more of a scene we’ll be easier to track… “Come on Poison there’s nothing we can do..”

“Nothing we can do?!” Poison roared in rage and turned to his brother. How the fuck- “Why the hell are we still trying then Kobra? WHY?! If there’s nothing we can do, why the hell are we out here fighting?!” He demanded, giving Kobra a sharp punch.

Kobra frowned and grabbed his brother’s fists, shaking his head. They couldn’t fix this mess, not this time. Ghoul called them over and he forced his brother back to the car, guiding him with a hand on his back. “Come on man,” he whispered, “we need to get out of here...”

Ghoul was waiting for them, Jet’s wound already wrapped. “It didn’t get him too bad, but I think we should head back to the diner.” He frowned deeply at the brothers. They didn’t have much of a choice, they stayed still for too long and it was making them soft.

After a moment Poison nodded and got in. That little town seemed like a dream world. A home that they once had, but that wasn’t the place for them. Getting into the car, he drove them back, pulling up to the old inn. He said nothing as he headed up the stairs and grabbed what few possessions they left in the room.

Sighing for a moment in their room, he stood and shook his head. Ghoul was right, they needed out of here and they needed it fast. Jogging down the old creaking stairs, he found himself giving them one last glance. They hadn’t even been here a full week. But something about it, it just seemed so right.

Once outside Poison threw their things in the back of the car. A heavy frown weighed on his lips and furrowed his brow. He got in without a word and sped out of the town, his hands gripping the old wheel tightly. Unknown to him, however, they had been spotted. A Draculoid unit doing patrols, once a few calls were made a raid was brought to play. The white car sped into town…

//

The drive back to the diner was exhausting, not only for Poison, but the other occupants as well. They didn’t realize how far Zone four could feel sometimes. The hot air was blasting them in their faces. Lack of water made it hell, too. They really hadn't planned this shit out. However, when they saw the outline of the building on the horizon, Kobra’s lips pulled into a smile. Home sweet home, he thought to himself as they pulled up. There was something comforting about their base.

Once inside, Ghoul just flung himself back into his chair, as if he'd thrown himself into a booth, his normal reaction to a mission far too long. He laughed quietly as the chair went flying back and knocked him into a table, almost knocking him out of his seat. A hiss of pain passed his lips but was soon followed by a toothy grin. It was good to be back.

Jet hobbled over to the first booth he saw and slumped into it, closing his eyes weakly. They had been gone long enough for a fine coat of dust to cover almost everything. The particles danced through the air as he sunk into the padding. He was still sore, and definitely stiff, but the familiar musty smell and cheap décor brought a smile to his wide lips.

Poison stormed into his room, this was the same reaction he had whenever a mission went bad. His room was the farthest from the front, once an office. He had dragged an old mattress in, there was a desk and four different maps of the zones, along with a draft he was putting together of Battery City. Various attack plans sat scribbled along the dusty maps.

Kobra sighed; he knew it was his turn again. He carefully moved past the other rooms to knock on his brother’s door. “Poison, come on,” he sighed heavily. “This isn’t the time to lock yourself away.”

The door crept open and inch and Poison glared out, “You’re right, Call D and tell him we’re back at base,” he snarled, slamming the door again, this time in Kobra's face. This clearly wasn’t up for discussion.

Kobra threw his arms up and headed for the CB to do just that. He put a call out on Dr. Death Defying’s line. Sometimes he hated being the fuckin' secretary of the group. He was a doctor for fuck's sake!

The messages came and went. D was going to be sending Pony their way soon enough, they’d have their missions and get back on with their lives. Jet limped to raid what they had in the kitchen, some near-fossilized beef jerky, year old peanut butter, and four cans of pup. He grabbed the jerky and pup, planning to devour both. It was bland, but it was food. I hope it's at least edible.

Poison came out soon enough, four maps rolled under his arm. He began to lay them out on the tables, sighing. Doing his work out here, for once. “So, I’m thinking we need a food run.” He began, “Kobra and I will have to be the ones to go because… well," He cleared his throat, “Kobra, we can take Guano down to the edge of Zone three, there should be a Drac station there. I’m guessing we can snag some water, and hopefully some actual food. If it’s too busy, we'll need to hack some machines.”

Kobra looked up and nodded at his brother. The blonde man had busied himself with cleaning the dust along the tables and booths. He hated it when it got this filthy. He had to run around in the dust all day, and he didn’t need it when he got home.

Rolling his eyes at his brother’s need to be a clean freak, Poison started up again. “So once you’re done being a house wife, we can make the run.” Ignoring his brother’s various protests and foul language, the redhead turned to Ghoul. “Do you think you can handle the watch? Or do you need Pony to wait with you?" he arched a brow.

Ghoul frowned up at him and made a face, “I don’t need a thong wearing lady boy to protect me!” he protested and stuck his tongue out. “I am a man! Thank you very much.”

Poison shook his head, a smile playing his lips. “Sometimes I wonder...” He teased until Ghoul tugged one of his boots off and chucked it at Poison’s head. “Oh my god, the smell!’ Poison bellowed, for once letting his guard down and having fun. “This is worse than when you ate all of those beans!” He let out some fake exaggerated coughs and acted like he was passing out.

Ghoul pouted, but laughed when Jet hobbled back in, mouth full of food to the point that his cheeks were puffed up. 'What did I miss’ came out as “I need to piss.” Soon enough, Ghoul was cracking up and almost swaying in his chair. Kobra rolled his eyes at the morons, they were too much sometimes. All that seriousness built up and just seemed to explode on them.

The laughter finally quieted and Poison and Kobra began to gear up. Kobra smoothed his hair back and put his glasses on, they would be taking the Trans today. His bike seemed to sing in approval for getting a break. Sliding in, the two drove off down the asphalt under the burning glare of the sun.

The drive was less muggy with just the two of them. Everything seemed quiet, these runs were more risky then their usual quick attacks. There were more Dracs in the area and it usually broke out and escalated very quickly. It was hard to tell how a Drac was going to react. Sometimes they just attacked, those were easy to handle, but the ones who ran, those were a bit tricky. When they got away was the worst, because they knew within an hour the entire Zone would be crawling with those little peons. And sometimes, numbers do matter.

Cracking his neck, Poison pulled to a stop a good mile away from the spot. He frowned, seeing another car there already, an old Nova. Poison drew his gun at the man who was slinking out, his eyes fixed into a glare, slipping out unnoticed until he was right behind him. He fisted the blue jacket with a hiss. “State your name or you’re dead.”

The other man jumped up and looked around wildly. He was a young man, around the age of 25, a slight 5 'o clock shadow on his chin. He frowned at seeing who it was, the red headed leader of the ‘fabulous killjoys’.

“Bright Eyes,” the youth announced with a smooth, almost mocking tone. “Don’t worry, I know who you are, everyone does.” He shook his head and looked back to the nearby base. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m trying to wo-”

“You little punk!” Poison snarled and turned him, grabbing the front of his jacket, all but spitting venom. “I’m gonna beat your ass you little-”

“Poison! Stop it!” Kobra tugged the redhead off. “We don’t have time for this, we need to get in and get out. He frowned at the younger man for a moment. “You’re trying to get supplies too?” The kid just nodded, crossing his arms, trying to look cooler than he felt, he was shaken up by Poison's quick, violent movements.

Kobra sighed and shook his head. “We need more backup, come on,” he muttered, taking charge this time. Poison was clearly too emotional to handle this right now. Slipping his glasses back up his face, Kobra tugged his gun out and took a low stance. Poison frowned but mimicked his motions, creeping down the invisible road. Bright Eyes stood there for a moment before following them. Despite his former rebellion he couldn’t help but watch in awe of how smooth and perfectly they seemed to move fluid like water.

The movements were painful; Bright Eyes’ back was hurting after the first five minutes. It was hard to keep up with the other two. They were so fast and didn’t seem to show any signs of wear. He felt his heart racing and his cheeks flushing. He could understand why they were called the best runners now. It was just this sense of authority they had over everything around them. It seemed to all be going their way, they had reached a chain-link fence when Kobra withdrew wire cutters, giving one pair to Poison then he went to work. Snapping the metal quickly and silently, making just enough space for the three of them to squeeze through. From there, Kobra sunk down even lower, and somehow moved faster. They found a case of water in the back of the stop. Kobra smirked and passed it to Poison, who turned and rushed out as fast as he could, moving the cargo to safety.

Kobra then nodded to Bright Eyes and led him into the galley. These stops were basically overly hyped up truck stops. He knew they would have SOME KIND of food. Keeping low, they searched, Kobra handed over a few cans of fruit and what looked to be higher end freeze-dried meals.

Without warning, the door knob shook. Kobra lost all coloring and motioned for the kid to get out of there. Bright Eyes ran for all he was worth, not looking back until he had successfully slipped out of the hole and gotten a good quarter mile from that fence. Panting, he glanced back not seeing Poison grab his jacket harshly.

“Where the fuck is my brother?” Poison roared in anger, shaking roughly. Why the fuck wasn't he there?

“I-I… the door! The door was being opened and he made me go!” The kid tried to defend himself; he was shaking like a leaf. Poison had scared the piss out of him, quite literally.

Poison was about to yell again when a hand clamped over his lips. “Shut up,” Kobra’s voice hissed a large sack over his shoulder. "Every fucking Drac at that site is going to hear you if you don't.” His eyes narrowed as he forced them back to their cars and slumped into the sand.

Poison frowned at him, beyond pissed that he would save some random kid over his own ass. “What’s in the bag?’ Poison finally muttered.

Kobra smirked and reached in, producing three cans of cursed ham, a frozen looking chunk of meat in an oversized plastic bag and a full ham. Poison’s mouth dropped and Bright eyes literally started drooling, it was real meat. Not dog food, meat.

Kobra frowned, looking to the kid; he did help them out, after all. “Hey, kid, you wanna come get some of this before it goes bad?” He wasn’t sure if this guy had a home and well, he didn’t deserve to get gypped. Poison frowned at Kobra straight away. He didn’t like where this was going.

Bright Eyes blinked slightly and nodded. He wasn’t sure what he just agreed to but it sounded like eating with the fabulous four. Kobra nodded and packed up the Trans, ignoring his brother's loathing glares. “Come on, just follow us, don’t fall behind.” He sighed and got into the car.

Poison threw his hands up and got in as well, why didn’t they just broadcast their location straight to Korse and get this bullshit over with! If they were going to have anyone over, well they were slitting their own throats!

The drive back to base was eerily silent. Poison was totally fuming at his brother for this. This was a fully grown man who clearly didn’t need them, why the fuck should they invite him in? Kobra just frowned as he sped down Route Guano. He didn’t wanna hear his brother’s petty objections or looks. They needed good communication if they wanted to keep living the way they did. It always always better to make an ally then an enemy out here. Pulling up to the diner, the brothers unloaded the food, Bright Eyes leaving his car and nodding to them. He was in shock to even be there.

After the food was inside, Kobra went to work. In addition to being the medic, he was the only one they trusted to make food. Anyone else was liable to do something stupid and screw it up, or worse yet, get an idea for a prank and start a full on riot. Just like Ghoul with the sneezing powder gumbo. That shit was the worst. Kobra cooked the perishables as fast as he could; he wasn’t able to cook the full ham so he chopped half of it off and started lacing it with some old salt. He had to make sure this didn’t go bad before they would get to it. This was feast by their means.

Jet and Ghoul were hanging around the kitchen, enticed by the scent of meat cooking. It was the most delicious thing they’d smelled in so long. They couldn’t help but be drawn in by its lust. Poison, however, was eying Bright Eyes with anger, saying he didn’t want him here would have been an understatement. He just wanted a goddamn day home alone, but this shit was gonna go down. When the kid took a step Poison mirrored it, making sure he wouldn’t get any more information about them.

Bright Eyes sensed the dislike but shrugged it off with a frown. He didn’t care; there was free food in it for him. Kobra soon came out serving the food on cardboard; it was all they had that wouldn’t totally break under the weight of the food. Ghoul just dug in with his hands, Kobra rolled his eyes and tried to avoid his hands when he was cutting with his pocket knife. The pink fleshed opened with a lavish scent that even got Poison to look away from Bright Eyes. The five men hurried around it, soon following Ghoul's example.

Within minutes, the food was gone and Ghoul was gnawing at the bone, like a little starved hamster trying to get whatever meat he could. Sighing happily, he slumped down and patted his belly. “Mmm, pig flesh,” He joked and beamed as he rolled away, happy to be full. Jet groaned and lay down on the booth. He was content. But he soon rose to man the CB, he knew Pony would be there soon and wanted to check on his status.

Poison looked to the kid, who was leaning back with his eyes closed, then to Kobra. He brought him here and now it was his job to get rid of him. He didn’t wanna deal with it. Kobra frowned at the boy and rose on cue. “So uh, kid, you got any place you’re stayin'?”

Bright eyes blinked and looked at the younger brother with a nod, cracking his neck. “Well, I’ve been crashin' in my Nova…” He explained as he stood. “But I gotta get outta here anyway, thanks for the food.” He nodded to Kobra and headed back out the doors. Kobra blinked, that was easier than he had expected.

Turning to his brother, he frowned at the heavy smirk on Poison's face. “Do you have to be like that? He was a good kid, and he helped get all that food.”

“He was a liability,” Poison snarled back, “he could have taken our plans and given them to Bli, why the hell would you risk that?”

Kobra rolled his eyes. “He could be a connection, and frankly we can use more of them then we ha-”

“We have Tommy, D and Pony! We don’t need anyone else!” Poison fumed at Kobra and stamped his feet like a child. “Why do you wanna bring more people in?! This operation is risky being as big as it is already!”

Kobra frowned at him. “I never said to bring them in! I just think it’s a good plan if we need back up!”

“Hello everyone!” Pony announced when he came into the diner. “Did you all miss me?” He beamed, and put his hand on his hip, posing in his usual diva stance with a grin.

“Shut up, Pony!” Poison snapped not realizing he had until it was too late.

Pony pushed out his lower lip slightly. “Well someone’s a grumpy butt!” he exclaimed offended at Poison’s tone. He handed the message from D over to Jet, who seemed to be in the best mood, and at that moment the most trust worthy. “I’ll just be on my way.” With a hair flip, he turned to leave.

Poison sighed. “Pony, wait, I didn’t mean to… Kobra’s just being a dumbass-”

“ME?! That's you!" Kobra snapped back, jumping to his feet, the two were in each other’s faces within moments, arguing, with obscenities flying after each other. Ghoul peeked his head into the room with a snicker, this was better than cable!

The yelling ended when Poison shoved his brother back and headed back to his room, slamming the door so hard that an askew picture fell from the wall, crashing onto the floor into a million little pieces. Kobra sighed and shook his head, sweeping up the glass before someone cut their foot open. This fighting was killing him, in all honesty.

Ghoul rolled up to Kobra and smacked his lower back. "Hey, come on Kid, we can go to the club again to get rid of your stress?” He gave him a filthy smirk and winked. Kobra just groaned and slumped into a booth, the shards of glass glistening in his dust pan.

“How about we never do that again?” Kobra offered, tugging a loose string off his jacket and adding it to the dustpan. He went to throw the debris away without a response. Once Ghoul was healed, he knew that was gonna be one of the first things he would want to do. Disgusting.

The silence lasted a moment longer until Jet let out a week airy gasp. Both sets of eyes snapped to him in alarm. He was as pale as the sand hit by the sun around noon. He looked like he was going to vomit. Kobra rushed to Jet’s side to see if he was harmed, and Ghoul rolled as fast as he could to get Poison, this was bad. Jet wasn't the kind to play tricks.

Once the four of them were together, Poison noticed his brother was as pale as Jet, the note from D shaking in his hands. “Get a map,” Kobra whispered bleakly, he had to be certain before he said anything.

Poison nodded and grabbed one laying it out. Poison frowned when he circled a small area. It happened to be the town where they had been staying. “What the fuck is going on, Kobra?” Poison demanded harshly.

Kobra swallowed. “There was a major raid at the coordinates, they attacked almost everything and burned most of it.” A heavy silence hung in the air at those words. Poison shook his head weakly. He knew it was entirely their fault; this was why they shouldn’t have stuck around. Sometimes it seemed like they just destroyed everything they touched.

“This has to be wrong,” Poison whispered out, thinking of all the faces he had seen over the past week, “It… it has to be.” He wasn’t expecting this to be so hard. People died everyday out here, but for whatever reason the thought of that town being destroyed made him feel like someone yanked out his heart.

Without another word Poison stomped for the Trans, Kobra frowned following, what was he doing?! Silently, Poison drove off, leaving the other three men behind. He had to see this for himself, it had to be wrong. He knew the risk of going into a raid zone; he had to leave everyone else behind. He sped on the sands with his eyes fixed in a heavy glare; D had to have gotten it wrong...


	5. Close your eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the fate of the town is let out, how are the guys gonna handle all of these new allies? Well I suppose they'll have to learn to deal, and now a mysterious runner is showing up and might be a threat? Or will he be able to help them? And when the diner is attacked everything goes insane, who will stay as a team and who will fall?

The town sat on the horizon as eerily as ever, the scent of burnt wood filled Poison’s nose. He gagged weakly, his eyes growing wide in realization, D was right. The wood frames were nothing more than black ashes sitting in piles of rubble. Scanning the town, he saw it was almost empty. Poison stepped out of his car and ran a hand through his knotted mane, his frown never leaving. Maybe fifteen people were left, far from the normal cry of fifty. 

The old woman approached him, her face streaked with tears through the black soot. She looked distraught. “They came from nowhere,” she whispered in her thick accent, wheezing heavily, the remains of smoke making it hard for her to breathe. “They burn everything and leave.” Her eyes were glassy as a few fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder to find Poison looking down at her, trying to comfort her.

Striding through the few people who were gathered, he took inventory of what they had. Someone’s gonna have to step up here. He cleared his throat. “I know you’re all shaken up, but this isn’t the time to break down! You have two choices, you either pick up the pieces of this town and rebuild, or you leave and start a new life, now choose!” His voice was sharp, eyes darting to each of the dirty faces.

The young mechanic ran his hand over his soot covered face, trying to get the black away from his eyes. “I have nowhere else to go,” he mumbled weakly.

Poison looked at the group who all seemed to be in agreement. “Alright then," he said, "Tonight you’ll all be in charge of getting whatever resources you can save from this wreck.” He motioned to some of the crumbling buildings as he spoke, “Stone, wood, metal, whatever isn’t totally destroyed, and tomorrow be prepared to work harder than you have ever worked in your life!” He snarled at them, waiting for responses.

A few people’s faces twisted in disgust at the idea, but what choice did they have? Risk dying in the desert? Or worse, get caught and taken into the city. Poison nodded at them and walked away from the crowd back to the Trans. He frowned, however, seeing a form cowering behind a large bulk of stone. He walked over to look and make sure the person wasn’t dead or dying. Despite the black smears covering her body, he recognized her as the waitress who didn’t know her sports.

“Hey, kid,” he grumbled, nudging her with the toe of his boot. “Get up, get some shelter and rest up, you’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”

She jumped as she looked up to him, thick tears streaming down her face. “Wh-what?" 

“Get up, we gotta rebuild this shit tomorrow.” he nodded at her, watching her rise and join the others. This was gonna be hell, he really didn’t have much to work with in the ways of labor here, did he? I hope these idiots can handle it. His face twisted as he slipped back into the Trans and shocked the engine to life, speeding off for home. What the fuck did I get myself into?

The three remaining members of his team were waiting, arms crossed and upset, what the hell was he thinking just taking off like that?! Kobra had been pacing wildly. He’s going to get himself killed one day doing this! Why couldn’t he just wait for us? Let us help for once?! Oh, wait, no that would be the smart thing to do! He growled and tugged his dirty, blonde hair when the Trans Am pulled up. Kobra was the first out the door. 

“You idiot!” Kobra growled, slamming his hands down on the hood of the car. “You could have died! You could have been killed! Then we’d be left without a damn leader and without any transportation!”

Poison’s lips twisted into a scowl. “Oh, quit with the dramatics!” He sighed and headed into the diner, brushing past his other teammates. If they didn’t get it already, he wouldn’t waste his breath trying to explain.

Ghoul exchanged a look with Jet before sighing and wheeling back to his room. He didn’t want to deal with the brother drama tonight. No one did.

The next day was as tense as before, Poison and Kobra wouldn't so much as look each other in the eyes. Ghoul let out a sigh before rolling over to them. "Come on, boys, give us a smile." He gave one of his good old fashioned smiles no one could resist. Kobra looked over and slowly his mask of anger broke into a small smile back. I dunno how anyone could manage to stay mad with this fucker around.

Poison, however, wasn't as easy to break, shooting ghoul a heavy scowl before looking down to his hands. He clenched them into fists. "We're going out," he ground out between clenched teeth and rose heading to pack his gear. A few moments of silence followed the older brother's order, but the team slowly got into gear. Poison extended his hand when Ghoul made to leave. "We need you here to watch the waves."

Ghoul opened his mouth to shout his defiance but soon snapped it shut. He knew at this point it would only make shit worse. I'm really never gonna be heard until i'm better, am I? He sunk back into his seat, letting out a hiss of displeasure.

Nodding to the chair stuck man, Jet was the last to head out. He shook his head and took pity on people with more pleasant jobs, like digging ditches or scrubbing the elderly. Slumping into the backseat, he tuned out the bickering of the brothers in the front seats. He sighed as they sped off. Today was gonna be a long ass day.

The two seemed to quiet down after a while, however Jet still felt a slight tension between the brothers. They're still ready to rip each other’s throats out. Shaking his head lightly, Jet looked around with a frown of realization. The once fruitful town was nothing more than a few crumbling buildings and piles of brick and wood. The townspeople were huddled, shaking heavily around a small fire, all they had for protection against the freezing night. The three men climbed out of the TransAm and approached the fire. Mostly women, a few thin men. Poison sighed and shook his head. "The first thing we need to do is build a shelter," he barked at them. "You'll be dead within the week if you don't."   
One of the thinner men rose and nodded. That's that kid who worked as the mechanic…Kobra thought to himself as he helped the kid lay out some weak plans for a ragtag shelter. 

Whiskers quickly moved to help him lay things out, Kobra had grabbed a small bucket of half dried cement and headed to start the frame and foundation of something to shield them from the cold. 

Poison looked to the others and sighed. "The next step is food," he said, looking at the women in particular. "It's hard to find unspoiled plants at times, so you need to be careful, if any canned goods made it we need them out here." A few people stepped forward with jars of honey and other nonperishables. Slowly, Poison went over each and every item, taking a mental inventory before nodding curtly. "Next thing is learning to live off of what the land can offer; snakes, lizards, anything that has meat. Be careful of the coyotes, they can carry diseases." 

Quiet talk rose amongst the townsfolk and a few of the men stepped forward eager to hunt. Jet nodded to take the few and teach them how to spot healthier meat from the diseased. "If it's a carcass, it's out, no matter how healthy it looks. You don't know what killed it, and I guarantee it could probably kill you too. Mangled fur isn't an out, but you wanna make sure it's not too patchy, that’s a sign of radiation poisoning..." The man started, giving them a full lecture.

Poison turned to the last few left and spoke again. "Your job is to maintain the fire" He narrowed his eyes at the pathetic flame and moved to grab some dried grass and throw it in, giving the heat a little bit of hope. "This is one of the most important things you can do," he sighed and nodded as a few people mimicked his actions, throwing small twigs and dried bits of cactus into the flame. It was still pathetic, but now it had some fullness.

Poison rose up, heading to help his brother and the skinny kid with the foundation. Honestly, it looked like shit, but they didn't have much to work with. And frankly, this was their best shot at surviving right now. The building process was the slowest; every time they managed to get a foot off the ground one of their supports sunk into the sand, sending whatever small victory they had literally into the ground. As the sun rose and the heat increased, it seemed even harder. Slick palms and an unstable foundation seemed to be their downfall.

By the time the sun had set, they had something up, maybe five feet off the ground. It wasn't much but it seemed stable enough that it wouldn’t collapse on them in their sleep. This was going to be even harder than Poison expected. He spat into the ground, shaking his head. It was gonna be a long couple of weeks.

The drive home was long and strained everyone deep in their own thoughts. A slight animosity between the brothers ruined it for Jet; he squirmed in his seat and looked out the window, trying to remember a time before drama infested their lives like this. Back when they had lived in the city. 

Jet sighed loudly, wishing Ghoul could have come. Any chance of hope between them was more than welcome. Raids had been hitting further out lately, just by driving through the massive amounts of sand, anyone could see it. Scattered clothing, a broken campsite, embers smoldering in a fire pit. The beat up old clunker screamed who the victor was. They had to keep fighting. They just had to.

Heading inside, two of the four men threw their bags down onto the tile, tracking in dirt and other messes no one would bother to clean up. Kobra was the one who fell back, his face in his hands. He had felt like such a mess since he was separated from her. His girl. 

He could remember the look on her slender face; they had run off to try to be together. And then they woke up to a riot, the crowd had pushed them apart and he hadn't seen her since. Shaking his head, he pushed the foggy memory back, he couldn't afford to stress about these things. After all, she could handle herself. Looking to his hands, he finally rose up, might as well attempt to get along again. Of course he'd be the one to give in, after all he always was.

Trudging into the old diner, he frowned at the mess on the floor. With an exasperated sigh and a broom he did his best to clean the mess up. He felt like the maid, but at least it gave him some time to decide what to say…'Hey Posion, I don't wanna fight with you, you should just stop being an idiot...'No, wait, he'd just argue about that again. 'Poison, look, I'm sorry I freaked out, I just worry...' That won't work either. With a slight kick of frustration to one of the booths, Kobra exhaled, heading to the back of the diner and knocking at Poison's door.

The door swung open, revealing Poison's same old room, filthy and covered in maps. The usual odor poured out of the open door. The red head was stripped down to his jeans with his arms crossed over his dirty and slightly scarred torso. "The fuck do you want, Kid?" Poison all but snapped.

Kobra frowned and shook his head. "Listen, I know you're pissed at me, but I just worry. You're the only family I have anymore, and we need to stick together." Placing his hand on Poison's shoulder, Kobra sighed. "I didn't mean to attack you or whatever, I just love you."

Poison just looked at the hand for a moment, his lips pressed tight in response. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Poison shook his head. "Listen Kid, I can handle myself, I've managed to go this far without dying. You don't have to worry about it." With a slight grunt, Poison pulled back staring his brother dead in the eyes. "I'm always gonna be here, got it?"

Kobra frowned but gave a quick nod. Not exactly what i was hoping for but at least he won't try to punch my face in. Marking this up as a victory, he headed for his own room and dug through his desk. Unlike his brother's mess, Kobra tended to keep all of his maps put away, nice and rolled and neat. He couldn't stand the idea of not being able to find what he needed in a mess of sweaty clothes and ripped up papers. Checking over a few details for an upcoming run, he tugged both boots off and climbed into bed, a long day's work now rewarded.

The night's rest was short lived, unfortunately. Nightmares plagued the redheaded leader, throwing him intol a cold panic, his heart thudding wildly in his chest as he sat up, groaning slightly and heading to his clothing covered nightstand, pouring himself a quick drink. The whiskey was strong against his lips, a burning sensation filled him and he swore under his breath. Too many raids fucked with his head, and he hated it. He went to look at himself in the mirror, his five 'o clock shadow a bit thicker, tired bags under his red eyes. I look like shit. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his dirty hair. 

Giving up on the idea of getting rest, Poison went to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, inhaling the scent. It was poor quality and tasted like shit, but it did the job. To his surprise, Ghoul came out next, his own face shadowed with exhaustion. He glanced to his brother in arms and nodded. "I feel like some pussy kid, scared of boogeymen," he muttered, and took in with Poison on the coffee.

The two sat there in silence, hardly looking at each other, the dark color of their drink seemed to call their attention. Sighing, Ghoul took a sip coughing and muttered something under his breath to the effect of 'rat piss swill'. However, he dove in for another gulp, needing its soothing effect. Coffee always worked interestingly with him, he didn't get hyper and insane, but instead it woke him up and calmed him. Finishing his cup, he looked up to Poison.

 

"What plan are you forming?" He arched a brow, knowing the look on his friend's face.   
"Nothing," Poison deadpanned and looked over, "just nothing."

 

"I know that look, man. It's not anything, just spill."

 

Poison sighed and finished his coffee shakily, getting another cup. "We might need to relocate," his voice was strong but his shaking hands revealed his true emotion. "These raids are getting closer and closer to the diner. It's just not as safe as before." 

 

Ghoul blinked up at him in no less than shock, he didn't know how to respond to this. For the past few years it had been their home, and although he knew one day they'd have to leave, he didn't know if he was ready. "I think," he paused and looked at his empty mug, "You're right. We should move on." His voice held a bit of excitement actual life shone in his eyes when he looked to Poison. 

 

Nodding to his teammate, Poison headed to the Trans to look her over. He dusted off her windshield with his handkerchief and smiled at her, petting her hood. "We're gonna kick some ass out there, eh?" He spoke softly and finished wiping down his mirrors the best he could, just enough to see out of them. Looking the horizon, he sighed, a rush of energy hitting him. I think we're going to be okay. Smirking to himself, he started to throw some old rags out of the back, they'd finish up their good deed and move on. After all, that's what a killjoy's life was about.

Packing their things for the day, Poison ran his hand through his knotted hair, he didn’t even know how to start this day. However, he found himself smirking soon after, thinking of the reputation this good deed would buy him with the ladies. Chuckling to himself, he began to look toward the sunrise, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Something about this time was just magic for him; the way the sun peaked over the mountains made him feel energized. His nightmare and lack of sleep seemed far away from here. 

 

The team slowly dragged themselves out of the diner, Kobra stretching his back muscles and nodding to his brother before slipping into the Trans. Jet was the last to join them, he looked dead on his feet. He just sat in the back of the Trans and started cleaning his gun slowly. 

 

Poison smirked and took his usual seat before nodding to Ghoul and cracking his knuckles. "Ready to raise some hell?" He teased his best friend who just nodded back, a heavy smirk on his lips. Driving at sunrise made the desert a bit more bearable, it wasnt as humid or hot. And driving away from the sun was a blessing in itself.

Their destination was hardly standing, the makeshift building had held up, but the winds that whipped through the openings didn't seem to help much. Pulling up, Poison sighed, rising out of the Trans and smirked before heading over to the group, nodding to his team and watching as one by one the townspeople emerged from the makeshift shelter. It was as if a thick fog was over them, something destroyed in their will to keep fighting. Poison went straight to work, no words were needed. Sometimes it was just easier this way, to silently help out and leave knowing they left a good impression. Slowly, people began to join him in rebuilding their town.

 

Razor was one of the first, she had tied her light blonde hair back in a ponytail and layered her clothes up the best she could. She was trying to focus on makeshift tents for now, the men were making long term buildings. The process was slow and grueling as the sun began to beat down on them. A lot of the townspeople had a look of surrender in their eyes. What was the point of fighting anymore?

As he worked, Poison looked around, it seemed everyone was working. He sighed and cracked his knuckles, his stomach growling angrily. He sighed; shaking it off, and moved to put down the bricks he was layering and stretch his back. He blinked, seeing someone sitting on the other side of a crumbling wall. He frowned heavily at the figure and walked over. It was that waitress chick with the bad jokes.

"Uh, what do you think you're doing?" He barked, his lips pressed into a tight humorless line.

 

She looked up and rolled her eyes with a sigh "I'm trying to sleep here." 

 

"That's not gonna happen," he muttered, pulling her up. "We're all working our asses off over here, and you think it's a good idea to just sleep?"

 

Her lips twisted into a snarl but she bit it back, seeing the look on this dude's face. "Who are you to boss me around?" 

 

Bad response. Only the guy who saved your lives. He released her arm and shook his head. "Just go do some actual work and we won't have any issue," he spat harshly and shook his head. This is bullshit, resting my ass.

He headed back to working on laying some foundation, it was sloppy and probably done wrong but that wasn't the focus at the moment. The important thing was protecting them from the elements.

 

Within a few minutes the violet haired woman joined in the work, doing, if anything, more harm than good. Poison twisted his lips as he kept an eye on everyone, but saw her repeatedly screw up. Sighing and running a hand through his hair in his aggravation, he walked over.

 

"So, it looks like you have no idea what you're doing."

 

"Uh, yeah, because I don't." 

 

"Well how about I help you out?"

She paused and looked up at this guy, shrugging slightly as she tried to pick up a small bucket of cement. Poison dove in to help her carry it, no words passed as he helped her lay it down for a foundation. 

 

By this time, the sun was dead center in the sky. They'd gotten a good amount done in one morning, but there was loads left to be done. Poison tugged out his handkerchief and wiped his face off with a slight smirk. I’m no goddamn builder but, this isn’t too hard. Chuckling to himself, he headed to his brothers-in-arms to get some Pup. Luckily, that was one thing the town seemed to have on their own. After a quick bite of their least favorite food, Kobra and Ghoul went to run the perimeter to keep an eye out for any Drac raids.

 

With cement drying on their faces, the two sped off, a small smirk on Ghoul's face. He wasn't supposed to get out and run yet because he was hardly walking, however, he could stay in the driver's seat and blast some drac ass. Finally, I can get back to my life. He snickered and looked to Kobra, who just smirked back. Both of them seemed excited to get back to their normal lives and away from this bullshit.

They ran a circle around the town a few miles out, the Trans easily ripping through the sands. Kobra adjusted himself, leaning out the window, gun in hand. Hot air whipped into his face. He usually wore his helmet on runs like these, but it was far too hot today and he didn’t want to have to deal with being a fountain of sweat. 

 

As they drove, both did their best to downplay their excitement and focus on the task at hand. It seemed their leader's instincts were right, within a few moments, there was a dust cloud ripping toward them, they nodded and smirked, charging their guns and speeding off. It wasn't a Better Living car, but a motorcycle; black with that goddamn smiley face staring them down. The rider was in all black, that was all Ghoul needed. He fired, his shot effectively blowing out the rider's tire. Clearly alarmed, the rider did his best to steady his bike from its wild flailing and ran off of it. He pulled his gun on the approaching car, firing at them. Before he could tug off his helmet, painful blasts erupted through his body multiple times. Ghoul cheered and pulled up, sending Kobra out to take whatever was left on the body, the blonde jumped out, gleeful at this proposition, but soon went a deathly shade of pale. This man, he isn't Better Living!

The form on the ground groaned, his dark hair falling from behind his mask, inked face groaning in pain. His face was heavily bruised and bleeding, his eyes weakly opened to look up at Kobra with a grimace. Falling back panting heavily as Ghoul ran over, still excited about the unexpected victory, after seeing Kobra's face however Ghoul's smile dropped and he rushed over in worry.

By the tattoos and the length of his hair, this man was clearly not better living. Kobra frowned his guard still on high; you never knew when better living would send out operatives dressed as killjoys, to take them down. He kept his gun on the man's chest "State your name" He growled lowly.

The man's dark eyes opened up clashing with Kobra's hazel ones. "Violent ink" 

 

Kobra frowned and lowered his gun, he heard of this guy. Radical techniques; ran on his own. "Give me proof and I'll help you out."

Ink managed to pull his jacket off, his intricate tattoos revealed, Kobra glared down, tattoos were the worst way of identifying if you asked him. Too easy to fake and replicate. Sighing and nodding to ghoul to keep his gun at the ready, slowly removing his jacket fully. 

Ink groaned the sand digging into the fresh wounds, he chuckled to himself "I guess this is what i get for wearing leather pants, eh?" he weakly joked.

Kobra didn't respond, he was right. It was his own damn fault, sticking to black and white out here. Of course someone's gonna think you work for Bli. idiot. he sighed to himself applying a herb based lotion to the blaster wounds on the man’s torso. I can’t fix everyone who gets themself into these messes. Shaking his head, he pulled back and turned to Ghoul.

Ghoul stared at him his lips pressed into a hard line. What are we gonna do with this kid? We can’t leave him out here like this. The staring match between the two older killjoys lasted a few moments before Kobra sighed and shrugged giving in and helping Ghoul lift the man into the Trans. Ink squirmed in their hands slightly but soon stilled, he was too beat up to handle fighting back right now, anyway things usually worked out for him.

Getting into the car and driving back was more stressful this time, Kobra taking the wheel, they'd have to bring him back to base and keep an eye on him at all times. Kobra still didn't trust this guy; it's too easy to fall into traps, name or no name. Sighing the three went onto Route Guano and headed back to the town.

Pulling up Kobra blinked at the progress, they'd actually gotten a lot done in the hours they'd been gone, not bad, not bad. Sighing and stretching out he went to the back to carry this kid out, catching Poison’s eye.

Poison rushed over with a heavy untrusting look, "what the fuck happened here?" 

"We shot at this kid thinking he was Bli, well we fucked up on this one."   
"I don't care you shouldn't have brought him here!"

"He needs medic-"

"He needs to get the fuck outta here and not bring more attention!" Poison snapped back harshly.

Kobra frowned their eyes meetings before he sighed, come on man I'm not in the mood to fight after the day I've had" He was almost pleading.

Poison threw his arms up and snarled. He couldn't believe this shit. "Fine, whatever just keep him low and out of my way."

Kobra looked to Ghoul and nodded, the two carrying away from the car, Ghoul gently placed Ink down, before running to get some old cloth to lay the man down on, letting Kobra go to work on his wounds, today was going to be a busy day...

Ghoul sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair. Inhaling before moving to sit down for a moment, his stomach was aching pretty badly and he winced at the thought of being stuck in that damn wheelchair again. However he managed a smile, looking up at everyone working around him, their focus and effort, it was refreshing to see, better than the usual bull around these parts, idiots wanting to be handed everything.

Razor blinked seeing the man sitting down, she hustled over panting slightly and smiled at him, "Hey are you okay?"

Ghoul blinked looking up at the woman, "Oh yeah just a bit tired!" He flashed her one of his good old smiles.

She beamed back and nodded, "Good, I just wanted to make sure!"

With a laugh she headed to go back to work, putting together whatever she could to make a semi decent sleeping bag. She had managed to forge one that was useable, but her other attempts were less than decent. Sighing she shook her head; she wouldn't let this get her down! She just had to work harder!

Her mindset however was shaken soon after, she went slightly pale and ran to the leader of that group helping them. 

"Hurry!" She gasped out grabbing her side and wincing in pain.

"What's going on?" The red head snapped.

"D-draculoids, coming from the northwest!" 

Party Poison's face fell, he nodded and called Kobra and Jet over. The three of them grabbed their masks, their guns then headed that way; Leaving Ghoul to keep an eye out for a sneak attack.

The cars were gaining fast, Poison whipped out his gun ready to fire, however the cars turned to avoid the group. Snarling, Poison ran after them, his two teammates close behind, this was bad, he just knew it. They began to try to shoot out the tires and hissed when the car turned toward the town. Oh shit. Poison took off at a sprint to try and get there first, however the cars caught up first. Bright blasts were flying all over, the air sizzling around. People crying, being hi, Dracs falling, it was nothing less than chaos.

A few of the townspeople pulled guns and tried to fight back with The Fabulous Four but quite a few of them were gunned down. Kobra found himself tripping over someone injured and hissed out as he himself fell to his knees, eyes set on his enemies.

The blasts and bodies were falling so fast, Ghoul just fell on auto pilot pulling his guns from his vest and rapid firing both of them. His side was flaring up with sharp pains that ran to a dull throbbing in his ankle. Hissing to himself and gritting his teeth, Ghoul managed to peg two Dracs right between the eyes. They fell easily, and it was all Ghoul could do to suppress a victory smirk, he knew it was too early though. Too close for comfort. The tides changed fast in these quick battles, if more came. As soon as Poison and Jet joined up in the riot-like battle most of the blast had gone down. Poison was snarling at himself for not thinking this through. Looking around at all the corpses, friend and foe he swore heavily. So distracted by his anger he almost missed the Draculoid trying to jump Jet.

"Fuck! Jet-!" He saw the drac pull his gun and ran, Jet spinning around wildly and aiming his own gun when a white blast went off. Time seemed to stand still for him; he hardly sensed Poison's blaster going off. But before he closed his eyes, feeling the shock of pain he heard a small moan. The one girl he met in the hospital, Razor was propped up against him a blood seeping through the sleeve of her shoulder. The Drac had fallen and the only noise was the quite moan of Razor.

Swallowing thickly Jet knelt down to examine her wound. It wasn't too bad but he signaled Kobra over nonetheless. Once he was over, Kobra did his best to clean her wound and start to wrap it, while Jet and Ghoul tended to those still breathing. 

 

Poison let out an angry grunt and kicked a rock heading for what little group was unharmed, maybe two or three huddled to together, wide eyed with fear. 

"You have to get out of here," This was his biggest worry. "They're going t keep raiding this spot until you do, just, head south until you can find another campsite." With a quick nod he headed back to his team, muttering slightly under his breath.

Ghoul was kneeling down wrapping up some kids arm and giving her a smile. She couldn't have been more than five, "Look how brave you were" He chuckled out and looked around, the kid's mom was one of the few unharmed, he handed the tot over with another grin "you keep fightin 'em eh?" He offered with a small nod, the little girl face brimming with tears managed a little wave at him. A bigger grin spread across Fun Ghoul's face, he waved at her and walked over where the other three were crowded.

The blonde was now laughing rubbing her wrapped arm and shaking her head "I know it was stupid" She managed out.

Jet chuckled softly "yeah, it was. You shouldn't do that for me, I'm tough."

 

Ghoul rolled his eyes and smacked Jet on the back with a laugh, "yeah his hair provides some extra padding."

Rolling his eyes at Ghoul, Jet shook his head "Are you alright though?" Razor nodded with a small smile getting to her feet.

"I've had worse before, and I'll have it again." She laughed softly and beamed. Jet just smiled back and nodded before rising up. Looking to Poison and giving him a slight nod.   
Poison did another lap trying to help prepare any transportation he could for those who were leaving. He came to the last person and sighed running a hand through his hair, "I don't suppose you know anyone else in the Zones?" He offered

Revenge shook her head "I know someone" She rasped out and swallowed.

"Let me guess, they can't pick you up then?" His face fell to a harsh frown when she nodded, groaning slightly Poison shook his head. "Get in the damn car then." He hated letting strangers in his baby but he didn't want to deal with the outcome of leaving some idiot out alone. Jet and Ghoul moved to help load Ink up, Jet holding the weak man to sit up.

She said nothing and kept her lisp pressed in a tight line, watching the other members fall in she crawled in the back of the car.

"Where are we going then?" Poison all but snapped pulling his mask off and putting his shades on, his eyes fixed on the woman in the backseat. She rattled of some general landmarks and Poison's lips fell into a grimace, this was gonna be a pain in the ass, he just knew it. Ghoul flashed him a weak smile and a shrug and they sped off.

The ride was long and awkward to say the least. Kobra seemed less than thrilled to be sitting next to the woman, while Ghoul was dryly chatting it up. He was slyly throwing in a snide comment now and again, watching her nod, clearly not getting it. Poison was soon annoyed with the sound of Ghoul's laugh, his day had been too long, so he flipped on the radio blasting Mad gear and the Missile kid. it was the best damn therapy in the Zones, harsh metal blaring out everything driving him nuts, his foot all the way down, and his baby revving up for him. 

Kobra bit his lip one eye on the horizon, his other on the woman. He didn’t like the idea of her really being here, but his brother said it was fine, so it would be fine, right? He didn’t know if this was the best path, but it was the one they were stuck on. He just looked to the injured man treating his wounds in silence.

Within a few hours they pulled up to a dirty looking warehouse, Kobra blinked slightly, something about it made his skin crawl. Revenge got out and headed to the door, a rough looking bouncer there, wait a second. Kobra’s brow furrowed is this the- he gagged at the memory. 

The bouncer loomed over her, hushed words exchanged. Poison put the car into reverse, about to drive away when the bouncer grabbed that chick. His face fell and he parked the car getting out hand on his hip. "Do ya mind tellin' me what you're doin'?"

 

The bouncer looked up "Stay outta this kid or i'll mess yo-"

 

Poison just smirked darkly hand on his gun, "You didn't just call me a kid." His hair whipping in front of his glasses, he meant business. The bouncer glared to it and shoved Revenge back.

"She's out." He growled and slammed the door. 

Revenge got to her feet and swore running a hand through her hair and threw Poison a look. "Did you have to do that?"

Poison rolled his eyes, what is with this chick? "Can you at least say thank you?"

She paused for a moment lips pulled back into a snarl, but it fell "Thank you..." she sighed out bitterly. 

He nodded and ran his hand through his locks to keep them away from his glasses, "no problem," he smirked.

She jutted her hip out and pursed her lips "So hero boy, where do you propose I go?" She arched a brow.

Poison frowned and crossed his arms "You can't stay anywhere else?" She shook her head, "then you can crash tonight, ONE night, and leave your fuckin' clothes on."

Revenge's face twisted and she followed him back to the Trans. Ghoul's eyes betrayed his feelings of disgust and confusion, Poison gave him an annoyed look.

Ghoul threw his hands up defensively, "Heyyy we got a sass queen in here" His lips pulled into a smirk watching Poison's face distort. 

Shrugging Ghoul off, Poison muttered under his breath heading for the diner and pulling up to a stop. Three of the four men headed inside without another word, carrying Ink inside as carefully as they could. Leaving the redheaded leader and the woman alone, he just frowned at her and shook his head "ONE night, you sleep on the booths." His voice was threatening as he headed inside to rest himself, he didn't have time for bullshit and drama! He had a group to lead here!

It took a while but Revenge soon headed inside, running a hand through her knotted hair and frowning, wincing when she tugged at the small knots. The diner seemed spacious, lots of windows, dirt covered the floor, with little attempt to clean it up made. She blinked at the booths where she was instructed to rest, a faded red and most of them were cracked with age. She noticed one had an old horse's blanket and what looked similar to an airline pillow laid out in the one with the least damage. Swallowing she crawled to lay down in it the material let out a wheeze of protest but nothing more. The air smelled like dirt and sweat, it was unpleasant on her nose, but it was better than sleeping outside. Hugging her knees to her chest and closing her eyes, she soon managed to pass out.

The night was much longer for Kobra Kid, once the woman had fallen asleep he rose up, lurking in the shadows to keep an eye on her and Ink. Fuck if you'll catch me off guard. He frowned slightly and crossed his arms leaning in a corner and watching their two sleeping form. 

By the time the sun peeked over the horizon the diner was bustling with life, coffee being made, pup opened, and the whining of Ghoul informed it was the start of a new day. Poison was the first up researching women's shelters they could unload the freeloaders off at.   
Revenge tossed in the small booth she had crashed in. Not used to the noise this early. She sat up with a small groan and looked around. Jet smiled at her and nodded offering a cup of coffee. If someone had to be cordial it might as well have been him. She took the cup and drank it down slowly with a small smile. Well, maybe this wasn't so bad.

 

Kobra went to look Ink up and down; he had a lot of bad burns. Sighing he did this best to change the wraps without causing pain. He shook his head exhaustion and a good sense of despair on his face. His mood would go down soon, and he'd start lashing out. Ghoul came in two chipped mugs in hand. He passed one over and nodded weakly. He looked like he had barely slept himself. Of course, this wasn't unheard of in this diner, but it made things much more difficult.

Ghoul and Kobra both looked over the man, sighing as he stirred weakly, a heavy frown on his face, "where the fuck am I?" He rasped out through his chapped lips.

Ghoul ran his thumb and forefinger over his eyes and shook his head, "we thought you were a special agent and shot at ya." Kobra just nodded lips pressed tight. He swallowed and headed to check their water supplies, coming back with a little in his flask.

"Drink.." he whispered weakly and pressed the opening to Ink's lips. Ink quickly drank all that he was given, it was unbearably hot in this diner. His body was sticking to the padding of the booth, when he moved to sit up, it made a sickening screeching noise.  
Ghoul nodded to the man and smirked. "It could always be worse; at least we didn’t mess up your hair." The joke was weak, but he was trying.

Ink looked at Ghoul and grimaced, clearly not the joking type. He managed to peel his leather jacket off of his form, flexing his arms, "I guess this is what i get for overdoin' it eh?" 

Kobra shook his head and headed to get more water, he hated the idea of them being in debt to anyone at all, and they hardly knew this guy. But he hated the idea of letting him go without a way of fighting back.

Ghoul chuckled, "Exactly, your fault not mine! Now we can charge you for service, the Killjoy Motel!" He beamed.

"Oh god, fuck that shit." Ink smirked back and ran a hand through his messy dark hair, he checked out the other's tattoos. "Nice work on your neck there by the way, good hold up for this sunlight and shit."

Ghoul paused and broke out into a bigger smile, "oh hell yeah, I'm one lucky son of a bitch!" he laughed loudly, "Your look pretty damn good for a pretty boy who lets ‘em hang out all day" 

Ink laughed harder at that one, wincing sleepily, "eh what can I say, the ladies love my charm!" he smirked and leaned back against the wall, his body throbbed in protest, causing him to wince again.

"Well, i better let you rest then" Ghoul smirked and nodded, maybe this fucker isn't so bad after all. He chuckled to himself and headed to raid what coffee they had left, after all that was his favorite language.

Poison came through the diner soon after, a bunch of maps in his arms, he laid them out and double checked his notes, "oi! Jet!" he snapped out, the leader tone back again.

 

Heading over Jet handed the red head a fresh cup of coffee he salvaged before Ghoul went ape shit on their supplies. 

"What's the plan?" Jet arched his brow checking.

Poison stroked his chin "I found a woman and children's shelter about two hours away." 

"We takin' the skirt?"

"Only choice we have, this ain't no daycare center"

"Aiight," Jet nodded heading to pack his gear up.

Poison sighed and looked around the diner, nodding when his brother walked in. Kobra nodded back the two passing instructions back and forth just with their eyes. Kobra walked over and patted his brother on the back "We'll be free soon" 

Poison didn't try to smile or lighten the idea, his mind was moving a mile a minute. He clearly had his own plans going on, and in his mind the future looked bleak, after all, they were never really free.

Kobra sighed and looked down, he felt like he was just screwing everything up worse for them.

Poison patted his brother back and headed to wake up Revenge. He put his foot on the seat and leaned on his knee as he shook her. "Wake up kid" He muttered until she stirred.  
She sat up her hair knotted to the point it was standing up. She blinked sleepily and glared at the sun "w-what time is it?"

"A little past 6" Poison frowned and stood "I'm taking you to a shelter, let's get moving"  
She grabbed her bags and followed him outside to the Trans, which was coated in dirt, seems a dust storm blew up last night. Poison used the sleeve of his jacket to dust off the wind shield and hopped in the driver's seat waiting for Jet.

He came out about five minutes later and slumped in the front seat nodding to Poison, they sped off, heading northwest.

Because it was morning the humidity wasn't too bad. In fact Revenge was so comfortable she fell asleep in the backseat. Poison glared at her in the mirror, it was never safe to fall asleep while in transit out here. Jet's hand was on his blaster, ready to go off if anyone showed up behind them.

Aside from passing a few camera drones the desert seemed pretty dead today, they passed another car at one point, one covered in neon paints, and full of young adults. A few girls stuck their heads out the window and screamed at them. But that was just their everyday. It was worse when they went to bars, they were usually flooded.

 

Jet pushed his helmet up and squinted, the sun reflected in the side mirror hit him directly in the eyes. He was scanning for anything else, "it's too quiet" He muttered.

Poison nodded, "my thoughts exactly, you think they're tracking?"

"Or raiding" Jet mumbled and swore softly under his breath.

Either way this was bad for them. Poison adjusted his sunglasses and glared, checking his mirrors again. He didn’t know what better living was planning, but no matter what it was, it meant bad news for them.

By the time they could see the mess of tents in the distance, Poison's arms were getting sore, it'd been a while since he'd driven for a few hours straight, lately it'd been about thirty minutes max. He frowned and pulled the car to a stop this wasn't what he expected at all.

The tents were beat to shit, and there were even blood stains on some of them. The women sitting there looked sick, and the kids looked starved. There was a tall bulky man snapping at one heavy blonde woman, a woman Jet saw right away. A frown tugged at his lips and he got out. Poison following suit.

Jet walked up the man and saw red when he grabbed onto Razor. In a swift motion he punched the man across the face, "hasn't anyone ever told you to be nice to girls?" Jet growled.  
The man's face twisted and he grabbed at Jet, he thought he was bigger but as soon as Jet stopped slouching, the man realized he was in trouble. In an instant the jerk was on the ground with Jet towering over him. He looked to Razor with apology and strode over.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...”

"Did he hurt you or anything?" he took her arm looking a the red mark, sure to bruise.  
She rubbed the mark, "No, I'm fine" She smiled at him.

"What are you doing here anyway?" 

"Well, after the attack, I needed some place to go...so I figured a shelter would be good, boy was I wrong..." 

"What happened here?" He frowned

"Well, the guys who run this place are asses and try to keep us all here."

Jet's face fell further as he gave Poison a look. "W-well...how about you come stay with us for a while" he inhaled ignoring the furious look on Poison's face. "I mean it has to be better than this."

Razor paused considering her choices, she didn't even know this guy, then again...anything was better than here. "A-alright, but can we try to help everyone else too?"

 

Jet nodded ignoring Poison still as he headed to look for a Cb to call D. After all Dr. Death Defying always had a plan.

Letting out a groan Poison headed to his car, he was about to snap and tell Revenge to get the fuck out of his baby, until he saw the look on her face. She looked terrified, looking out at that camp. He shut his mouth and let out a heavy groan, this as such utter bullshit! She moved to get out and he shut the door, narrowly missing her leg. She looked up at him but he was looking away "we'll find you some place more secure" he hissed, clearly not pleased with any of this.

Revenge blinked but nodded sitting back down, her bag on her lap, she didn't know what to say. He shook his head and looked over at Razor snapping, "Oi, blondie get in!"

 

She blinked but hesitated, wanting to wait for Jet to come back; she was skittish to say the least. Poison crossed his arms his frown falling further, he didn't want this was it was. His damn diner was becoming a motel!

Finally walked over and got into the back of the TransAm with Revenge. She smiled sweetly at her, Revenge simply rolled her eyes and scowled looking out the window. Razor's face dropped to a sadder smile and she hugged her knees to her chest. Maybe this wasn't a good idea, she inhaled sharply and sighed.

Jet returned after finding a CB in the largest tent. He rolled his eyes at the grumpy look on Poison's features. He could get over it. "I called D, he's arranging a pickup."   
Poison nodded, not wanting to say more, getting back into the Trans he was tempted to drive off and leave Jet, but sighed waiting till Jet got in before heading home. He was glaring into his rearview all the while, he didn't like having so many people he didn't know in his baby!

The drive back seemed to last forever, Jet swallowed and headed to open the door up for Razor flashing a sweet smile. He was trying to be a gentleman. She looked at him and smiled again heading to follow him inside. Leaving a clearly pissed off Poison, who slammed his head down on the steering wheel making the car honk. He repeatedly banged his head on the horn. Revenge was heading to get out and paused leaning closer to him "hey are you okay?" she asked him weakly.

He looked up at her with a blank look, well that answer was obvious. She swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment, "w-well thanks for what you did back there' she whispered, in all honesty that place scared the shit outta her.

“Yeah, it’s what I do”, he muttered and stormed inside.

As a looming Poison lurked inside the diner, Kobra Kid met him with a heavy frown on his face. "What’s everyone doing here? I thought you were kickin' 'em out?"

Poison turned away and grumbled something inaudible with a small 'hmph'. Kobra threw his hands up slightly looking over the two girls. Well, at least his brother was helping people. There was a bright side to this nonsense.

Razor was smiling shyly when Kobra looked in her direction, casually talking to Jet. He seemed to be a really nice guy, but pretty quiet. "So, my parents moved us out here, when I was younger, right before the wars-" She paused. "Oh, god I don't shut up do I?" Her face flushed a few shades of red while Jet chuckled.

"No, no it's fine, I like hearing how people ended up here." Jet softly insisted and motioned for her to keep going. 

Kobra looked over at Ghoul and Ink, who both seemed to be feeling better. They both had stripped themselves of their shirts and were comparing tattoos, muscle sizes, basically anything they could. Kobra shuddered to think of what would happen when they were out of sight. Droppin' their pants and whipping 'em out. He cringed at the thought. Considering Ghoul was quite the exhibitionist as is, having someone fuel the fire. Well, Kobra was fine with not seeing either of their junks, in this life or the next.

Revenge quietly headed into the diner, the last one in. Kobra shook his head and went to monitor some of the radio's waves. Just to keep an eye out for anything that would cause more of a pain for him. 

The sun was down by the time an emergency transmission came through. D was the one sending it out. Losing all color, Kobra stumbled over himself to get the guys. This was going to be bad. He found his brother sulking on his bed, smelling like whiskey and stale beer. He frowned as he shook him, the fucker was drunk! Groaning he ran to Jet's room banging on it. 

"Open the door!" he called "Urgent!" Doing the same to Ghoul's door, the three soon met in the old broom closet, which now housed their CB. 

"ZRRRRRT" The radio whined as the message played on repeat, D's husky tone rasping out. "Fabulous Four, you have company, a large number of B-V's in your area. Be on your guard." The machine let out a whine, letting out a skipping noise before playing the message again. 

Kobra looked up at the rest of the team, this was bad. He swallowed thickly and looked at Jet, "Poison's drunk, we need to enforce our defenses and get prepared for a firefight." His head snapped to Ghoul, "get whatever weapons we have and meet me outside.”

Jet nodded running out to get everyone sleeping in the booths. "Get under the tables, stay low; I'm getting you guys a way out of here." 

Ghoul on the other hand ran straight to his room. He'd been fiddling with a few guns and managed to get most of them in working states. Shoving each gun into his holsters, he checked on the bombs he'd been setting up. He frowned; most of them were duds and couldn't do much. Only a handful would detonate for sure, the rest? Well, it was a 50/50 shot, and hell he'd take any shot he could. 

Carrying the weapons to the back of the diner he laid them out. He tried to keep his body as close to the ground as possible. He couldn't risk them being spotted before they had a chance to get ready for a fight.

Kobra had the hardest job of the three; he was trying to sober up his brother. Throwing the old water they'd saved for cleaning use, on Poison's head to wake him. Then dodging the flailing attack of his brother's form, he sighed. Heading to make coffee with the safest water and give it to him. If they were down a man they'd all go down for sure. 

Jet jumped over the old boxes thrown around the diner by Ghoul. He got onto the CB and called out for urgent transportation from D. His face fell when no one responded. Throwing the microphone down, he headed back to the tables.

"There's a good chance we'll be under attack, Ink can you stand?" Jet frowned.

With a hiss Ink got to his feet and nodded, "It'll take more than a few of these motherfuckers to kill me." He smirked.

Jet turned to the women and frowned, "you two just, stay down, stay quiet and keep hidden." He didn't want their blood on his hands.

Ink limped but followed Jet out back, getting a gun from Ghoul and hissing slightly. This pain was a bitch for him. Gonna show them how we do it. He smirked to himself and knelt down with Ghoul.

Kobra and Poison were coming out when the first shots flew. Eight pairs of headlights flicking onto their forms. Kobra slammed him and his brother's bodies down, narrowly avoiding a massive amount of shots right at their heads. There was no thinking at this point, just the need to survive. 

Poison weakly adjusted his mask and grabbed his gun; it was lower on power than he would have liked. But he could handle this shit. He had to.

Ghoul fired back at them by grabbing one of the mechanical bombs. He struggled to activate it. Hissing as it began to beep he threw it at the first car. All the pitiful thing managed to do was crack their windshield. But he had no time to even notice that. He grabbed both blasters and began rapid firing them at the oncoming threat. There was white all along the dark blue skyline. 

The air began to sizzle around them, shots fired from both sides. Kobra ran up to the oncoming round and began firing with one hand, in his other was a hunting knife. It wasn't as sharp as he liked so the cuts he imposed were deep but far from clean. He felt blood spatter his body as he dug it into one Draculoid's neck. An explosion of blood followed. Poison ran up behind him, pegging one Drac between the eyes before he could shoot his brother in the back. The blood spurted out into Poison's eyes. He roared out and took the chance to grab his brother's arm. Flinging Korba with the weight of his body as Kobra fired wildly.

Jet took long range this time, keeping his gun steady and calm as always. He focused his time on those popping out of the cars. He had shattered more than a few windshields, with a smooth motion he grabbed one of the bombs by Ghoul's feet and threw them toward the back. Within moments the battle was lit up by its detonation. Bodies’ flying as a car was taken up, its parts flying all around hitting more than a couple of dracs.

The only one struggling was Ink. He'd been shot in the arms and felt a pocket knife dug into his right leg. With a snarl he charged at the agent he was dealing with. His gun has been kicked away and all he had was a small blade to defend himself with. The painful blows struck his body over and over. That fucker had to be wearing brass knuckles. Seeing Ink in peril, Ghoul darted over grabbing onto the drac's neck and choking him, using his entire weight he tugged at his head, until a sickening crack could be heard over the blasts. Within an instant of that crack, Ghoul had turned firing both blasters at the same time, toward the next round of Dracs coming at them. A smirk pulled at his lips. Bring it! He ran at them and let out a battle cry, head-butting one in the crotch, before he was kicked.

The kick sent Ghoul flying into Kobra, who stumbled and felt a sharp blade slice his hand. His own blood poured down his arm, he punched the offending Drac in the jaw as hard as he could, stumbling back a few steps. Shit, I can't fire! In desperation he ran to his brother, keeping his fists to his chest. Their backs together, he was punching and kicking at any form of white that came within three feet of them. While Poison focused on beating one Drac's head to a bloody pulp with the back of his gun. A sharp punch smashed into Poison's jaw. He snarled as his head whipped back, spitting out blood and what felt like a tooth. He shot him right between the eyes.

Each round of Dracs came, and the Fabulous Four took more damage with each one. Jet felt like he'd was weighed down. This was their territory and they had to defend it. After much effort the last drac had fallen and he turned to his allies panting heavily. He managed to get over to Poison who was using his bandana to patch up his brother's hand. Ghoul was joining them a frown on his features. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips, his usual after battle plan. 

Jet frowned noticing Ink on the ground. He wasn't moving, shaking his head he turned to Poison, they needed their leader here.

"We need to get out of here" Poison hissed out he was sure that the bones in his left wrist were fractured. "Just until it calm down and Bli is off our trail, only bring what you have to."

"And the girls?" Ghoul muttered, clearly avoiding staring at Ink's corpse.

"I said what you have to." Poison repeated and limped inside to get anything that could put their identities at risk and headed out back to burn it. He wasn't fully sober but he'd have to make due for now.

Grabbing his things Kobra did his best not to flex his hand. He headed to check on the girls in the front room "We need to move" He whispered weakly, clearly in pain.

Razor came forward first and looked at his hand, taking it despite his hiss of pain and looking at it. "It's nothing permanent, you'll be fine" She whispered

Kobra smiled at her weakly, "I know, I'm a doctor," he appreciated her concern nonetheless.

She blinked and blushed, "oh, gracious, I didn't mean to butt in or anything!" She was always nervous about upsetting someone. 

He shook his head and smiled again before heading to check his room for anything else he'd need. Grabbing his flask from the table he let out a small hiss of pain and retracted it. No using that hand for a while. He bumped into Ghoul in the hallway who was silent. Nodding to him, Kobra headed to put his things in the TransAm and managed to slip in the front. Ghoul joined him soon after his bag full, mainly of gadgets and various mechanical works. Running a hand through his hair, Ghoul winced weakly he didn't as much as look at Kobra.

The girls joined in the back of the car in silence. Both clutched their bags in their laps and didn't so much as make eye contact with anyone. They couldn't Razor was nervous looking at her feet a frown on her lips. While Revenge stared in horror at the corpses, she felt like she was going to vomit. They...they killed all these people...

The car sped off heading toward the east, Poison's tired eyes on the horizon; he had to get them out of here, if he could manage that. Well then he could pass out as long as his heart desired. The looming of pollution hung blocking the stars view; it seemed to be getting thicker as they headed further out into the Zones. It was getting so bad, Kobra had to put on his helmet and stick his head out the window, eyes squinting to try to make out any landmarks, to help them get to their destination.

The drive was hellish for the brother's. Jet on the other hand took it upon himself to get some much needed rest, slumped over Ghoul and snoring loudly. Ghoul on the other hand was very unlike himself, quietly staring out the window and frowning. He couldn't sleep if he wanted to with this big lug on him. Plus his ears were ringing, from Jet's booming snoring.

Sighing to himself, Ghoul let his eyes close for a moment, and before he knew it, his entire body was thrown forward into Kobra's seat. Swearing to himself slightly he pushed Jet off. Goddamit! He shook his head, that fucker is heavy! Managing to get to his feet, he squeezed past Kobra's seat to get out early. Kobra sleepily blinked and frowned at Ghoul, but in all honesty he wasn't in the mood to bitch at him. He was fucking tired.

Poison had pulled up to an old condemned looking warehouse. The windows were cracked and the door was hanging off the hinges. He put his hand up halting the girls and headed to slip past the fence with Ghoul. Ghoul took right and Poison took left, doing the quickest perimeter check of their lives. The grounds seemed clear, so they headed inside, trying to give the all clear. 

By some stream of luck they were able to do just that. The remaining four rushing past the weak fence to get inside. All of them looked tired and beaten, and the girls looked uneasy and plain scared. Jet smiled warmly trying to lay bedding down for Razor. Revenge just curled up in a corner and closed her eyes tightly. She felt like the odd person out, maybe I should just take off, they won't notice if I go. Hell, they don't even want me here. She sighed to herself and managed to fall into a troubled sleep.

Poison sighed weakly and looked around at everyone, Jet laid close to razor and Kobra had passed out near the door way. He shrugged his jacket off and stretched his sore muscles but frowned seeing Revenge shivering in the corner. He sighed to himself shaking his head, and grabbed his cigarettes out of his jacket pocked before draping the cloth over her shoulders. 

Ghoul blinked and frowned at the action, silently following him outside to join him for a cigarette. The two stared out silently, Poison's eyes falling lower and lower with each puff. Before long Ghoul had to help him to get back inside, Poison's arm and most of his torso slung over Ghoul's body. He laid him down and sighed to himself shaking his head. Before retreating to his corner to rest up, sometimes the shit they got into, well it just wasn't worth it to fight.

Kobra was the last to wake this time, he felt like total shit as he rose up. His hand moved to his head, but smacked his helmet. He groaned as he tugged it off, his skin red from the pressure all night, he felt a little bit dizzy even. His team was curled around their coffee pot with a frown, they had to use their own water supply to make it, but fuck, they needed it.

Ghoul had dibs on the first up, his mug was chipped and had a big crack in it but who the fuck cared, it was fuckin' coffee! He was downing his as Poison filled his own mug, a weak dribble coming from the bottom; he did his best to finish it, before it all leaked out. Jet smiled and moved to bring his mug to Razor, he really liked this girl, she was nice and smart, and just, unlike any other girl he'd met before. 

Her eyes sleepily opened and she smiled, "hey" she yawned and sat up with a small yawn taking the mug from him.

He grinned and sat down with her, leaning back on his hands, "hey yourself." he beamed at her with a small chuckle.

She looked around; the warehouse was disgusting in the light from the sunrise. There were rat corpses and spider webs all over, she swallowed and looked back to him. "Thank you," She smiled and motioned the mug up, "I really appreciate this."

"It's nothing" he sighed and smiled, "sorry about last night- I mean yeah, it happens out here I guess." he sighed and shook his head, "It must've scared the shit outta ya." He sighed and looked at her tiredly. 

She shook her head, "it's no biggie, I've seen worse." She tried to smile at him but faltered and sighed.

"Hey don't put on a strong face for me," he sighed, "being anxious, it’s okay out here, hell this is one of the only places you're allowed to feel. So, why abuse that?"

Razor smiled for real this time and nodded, "you have a point there.' She chuckled to herself and drank the coffee down. “Thank you again" she sighed dreamily and handed the mug over.

He nodded with another smile and headed to get what little was left after Kobra and drink it himself. He was used to moving around anyway, so this change was nothing for him. But he felt for Razor, he just had this need to make sure she was okay. He inhaled sharply and sighed looking at his dirty boots.

Revenge woke up and sat up, her body paining in protest. Poison's jacket fell off her shoulders and she frowned picking it up. She held it for a moment and blinked, before standing and heading to give it to him. "Thanks." She mumbled.

Poison looked over and blinked with a small nod, "no problem."

She managed a weak smile at him and headed outside her hands checking her pockets for her cigarettes. She pulled a carton out and frowned, she had a half smoked one left. Muttering to herself, she lit it up and looked down throwing the box aside. No use left in that.

Poison headed outside himself and blinked seeing her smoking a miserable little stub of a cigarette. His fingers ran along his own carton, he knew he only had about 5 left, but he swallowed and lit two up passing one as hers went out. He arched a brow at her when she hesitated in taking it, and nodded when she did, exhaling smoke weakly. "Well then." He sighed.

She sighed, "Listen I can get out of here" she started.

He blinked and looked at her, "what are you stupid? You should stay."

She sighed, "i know you just didn't wanna feel like guilty because of me-"

"Guilt?! What?!"

"But I’m a big girl and i can take care of myself." She frowned at him.


	6. Betrayal of the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some of Revenge's past is revealed. Will her previous choices change what Poison thinks of his girl? What about the rest of the team? It seems Kobra's taken to disliking her, a team up with Ghoul could ruin everything Poison had made with her. With Razor's big reveal to Jet, everything seems to slip apart for him, could he end up resenting the others?

He paused and frowned weakly trying to think of what to say next, "I want to make sure you're safe, okay?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I want you here." It was a bit forced, but there was a grain of truth in it.

Revenge blinked and frowned arching a brow at him and swallowed, "I-i...okay." she sighed out and quickly turned away, he wanted her here? She didn't know how to feel about that.

With a weak nod, Poison threw his jacket on the ground and sighed weakly. What am I doing, getting attached gets you killed. Swallowing thickly he headed to join Ghoul, who was watching him with a shocked look on his face, it fell into a frown.

"The fuck is going on with you?" He started.

Poison looked up weakly and shook his head, he didn't know. He honestly didn't, "I don't wanna have to deal with finding someplace to drop her off." He lied smoothly and Ghoul frowned deeper.

That was a crock of shit if he'd ever heard one. With an exasperated sigh he threw his hands up, it was time to cause some fun out here. Moving behind Kobra he quickly jumped on his back and tried to ride him like a horse.

Kobra flailed around and tried to throw Ghoul off, "What the fuck man?!"

"Giddy up!" Ghoul cried gleefully and snickered as Kobra bucked around. He felt like he was riding a bull here, and he sure as hell wouldn't quit.

"You dick!" Kobra whined and threw Ghoul onto the ground, he stood and gave him a stern look. Ghoul was too busy laughing to notice the anger, he was just having fun!

Straightening himself out, Kobra sighed and shook his head, well wasn't this all good and disgusting. He dusted himself off focusing on a few patches of dirt that wouldn’t seem to wipe off. His lips twisted and he muttered something to himself that sounded a lot like, 'rotten banana splits', causing Ghoul to howl with fits of laughter.

Jet heard Ghoul's mischievous noises and glanced over smiling weakly, "They're a bit, different to live with, that's for sure." He chuckled and shook his head weakly, this was alright with him, "So, do you like being a medic?"

Razor smiled sweetly, "I mean, you learn a lot and get to help people, if I do say so myself, it's the best job there is!" She smiled wide.

Jet chuckled and shook his head, "at least you're passionate about it!" 

"Yeah, well even after the world ends you have to love life, or else what are we fighting for?"

Jet nodded and leaned back, "Exactly, I think a lot of people want to complain about what life is like out here and forget why we do it sometimes. As much as I hate to say it. I've run into runners who, well I don't understand why they run. They complain and whine, and say they want the benefits of the city, and well it just isn't that helpful to be honest."

Razor nodded, "Sometimes it's more about quality than quantity." 

Jet nodded "that's why to this day I swear we can win this; we have more heart in one zone, than all of BLi."

She shot him a sweet sad smile, and nodded. That was the goal right? Win the war and fix the world, but...Was it really that simple?

Jet smiled at her a bit bigger, "I mean, it'll take a while to heal from all of this, but we have to keep movin' it forward, you know what I mean crash queen?" He arched a brow at her.

She smiled and nodded running her hand along the ripped denim of her jeans, "you seem so sure of this, like it has to come true."

"It will, because we'll make it happen, that's the only way you can get anything done out here. Or even in life, if you sit around and whine all day, everything stays the same, it takes action."

She paused for a moment, before nodding. "Doesn't that make things harder on you? I mean you guys are practically doing this on your own..."

Chuckling he shook his head; "life isn't fair though now is it? We believe in what's right, and we can't count that someone else would do the same thing. No one wants to face facts or accept responsibility for their actions, so if it's stuck on us. Well, we'll survive."

She smiled a bit bigger at him, "that's a noble thing to do, you have such faith. I'll be pulling for you guys." He nodded in thanks and blushed a bit, this was a good thing right? He was making a good impression and that wasn't always the easiest thing with Ghoul laughing on his back like a baby with a kitten.

Sighing weakly Jet rubbed his forehead before smiling back, this was nice. He hadn't felt like this in a long time and honestly it was a break aspired for. Razor's smile fell slightly and she looked at her hands, she seemed, well nervous. I bet I could make her smile, he rose up and headed outside for a moment. A few minutes later he came back in with a small lizard, smiling softly he extended it to her.

She blinked in shock but took the small creature cradling it. "What a cutie." She cooed to it and laughed letting it climb all over her.

He beamed seeing her smile. Yeah, he really did like having her around.

Ghoul was watching the two with raised brows, a smirk growing on his face. Ohohoh, this is perfect. His lips grew into a mischievous smirk as he snuck up on Jet and pushed him into Razor. 

Jet stumbled and managed to steady himself, his face flush. "I-i.." He stammered and pulled back, coughing weakly before kicking the laughing demon. Damn him.

Revenge watched Jet and Ghoul slightly confused and blinked when Poison came over. He looked, well different. More unsure of himself, certainly not the cocky leader who laughed at her the day they met.

He coughed and ran a hand through his hair. "So, what brings you out here- I mean, I know why you're HERE, but the Zones, yeah?" Groaning internally at his stammered words, Poison pulled himself together.

She blinked and looked down, "Oh you know," she coughed. "Just life, I suppose?" 

Poison nodded and slowly sat down with her. His heart was thudding in his chest. This was all good and tense. What could possibly go wrong next? He looked her up and down weakly, trying to figure her out.

Revenge paused again before sighing. "I guess the reason I'm here is a series of bad events." She paused, trying to gauge his reaction. He just stared waiting for her to go on. "I've been on my own for a while, I don't know I got mixed up with some bad people." She sighed and leaned against a wall, casually banging her head. 

Frowning, he shook his head. "Don't do that. Everyone makes mistakes."

She sighed again. "Well, these were some real bad guys." She shifted her knees to her chest and swallowed. "Like the kind who abandon you on the side of the road for not wanting to fuck some lowlife." Noticing his shock, she shook her head. "Yeah, I was. I mean, I don't anymore. I said I was dumb, right?" she sputtered out and grimaced.

"Well I mean, I wasn't expecting--" Poison mumbled and shook his head. "Just go on."

She sighed. "I mean, it was legal. I was in Nevada." Because that reasoning made it so much better. "Anyway, they kicked me out and left me out here. So I started working as a waitress and when that didn't give me cash...well, I started dancing again." She leaned back, stopping the occasional bang on the wall. "Then I met you so, yeah, here we are."

He nodded to her and sighed. "And here we are. I mean at least it was us, and not one of those scumbag Dracs."

She blinked at his words and paused, opening her mouth to say something, then closing it. "I keep hearing you say that, what is it?"

He blinked at her and arched a brow. "What, a Drac? You're shitting me, right? You know, a Draculoid?"

Revenge frowned and shook her head. "Yeah, I keep hearing that, is it like an animal?" 

Poison let out a sarcastic bitter laugh. "That's not funny." His face grew serious. Was this girl seriously that out of the loop?

She frowned. "I'm not joking, what is it?"

Poison’s face lost a shade of color. "They're employed by Better Living. We're fighting them."

"Okay, lost again, what the fuck is Better Living?"

"I-I, are you an idiot? You're telling me you don't know about the end of the world." He couldn't help the venom in his voice. 

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Her eyes grew wide.

Poison groaned. "The world went to war. And there were fires all over America. Before anyone could stop it, civilization crashed? Sound familiar?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I-I...when was this?"

"Jesus fuckin' Christ, for the last four years, woman!" He sighed and saw the look on his face. It mirrored his own when he was told about the attacks. He stiffly reached out to touch her shoulder. "Hey, it's a lot but..." His expression softened. "It's life out here."

She stared at his hand; she was convinced he was a madman. They all were, they had to be! But she couldn't bring herself to pull away. The fact was, she believed him.

He sighed and knelt down to her level. "Basically, this company came along, and they acted like they were gonna fix shit. Well, they lied. Tried to control the masses and overall became total assholes." His eyes grew fiery as he recalled it. "And they kicked out anyone who wasn't perfect, crammed pills down everyone's throats to fix 'em. Then sent anyone not up to par out here."

"Now, most of us out 'ere. Well, we're fighting to bring 'em down. We want to find something that, that's real. Not just a lie those fuckers tell us." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "There's a lot to it, but I won't overload you. We're the Killjoys and we'll be fightin' till the world ends again." He let out another bitter laugh; he sounded like some bad TV show.

She stared down. "So this is like, real life? Not a joke." Her voice was shaky and disconnected. She didn't even know how to process this.

Poison nodded weakly, his hand resting on her shoulder. "It's a lot. I know, but if you don't face reality out here, well, you belong in the city." He kept his hand there for a moment longer and retracted his hand with a cough. "Just, make sure you stay inside and we'll make sure you're safe."

She nodded and hugged her knees, resting her face on her knees for a moment. Her mind was racing with all these thoughts. How could this be real? She swallowed and sat up, staring at nothing in particular. 

Poison turned to walk away and bumped straight into Ghoul. Ghoul frowned and grabbed Poison, led him outside, and glared. "What the fuck are you thinking?" He had to squint from the sun beating on them.

"She didn't know about the fuckin' war, man!" Poison hissed, exasperated. "I was just tellin' her!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to be holdin' onto her! No skirts, man! You know the rules."

"Christ! I wasn't doin' shit! I'm not trying to marry the chick! I was just explaining what a Drac is!" Poison jerked out of Ghoul's grip.

Ghoul frowned. "I don't trust her. There's no way she couldn't know about all of this! I bet she's a Better Living spy, or an exterminator!"

"An exterminator? Really?" Poison rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's why she didn't kill us while we slept."

"Well, it may be part of her plan! Get us off guard and learn our secrets!" Ghoul insisted, standing on his tiptoes for emphasis.

Poison shook his head. "Like what? Mr. Bunbun?"

Ghoul's face twisted and he snarled. "Shut up, Poison! This is serious! I don't trust her!"

Poison sighed. "I'm not going into this blind, man. I'm aware of these risks, and I'm not gonna let anyone get hurt. And I ain't gonna be mackin' on her. Okay?"

Ghoul frowned, still unconvinced. "Just remember what happened to your brother."

Poison frowned, glaring at him. "Don't you dare get on me about that," he snapped. "You know I was against her from the start. I said it was stupid and he was gonna get hurt. But he sure as hell didn't listen to me!" This clearly set Poison off.

Finally Ghoul retracted, his hands slightly raised. "I just don't wanna see the same shit happen to you. I'm trying to look out for you." 

Sighing, Poison nodded. "I know you are man, just-- don't bring her up, okay?" He ran a hand through his greasy locks. "I'm still pissed about it."

"I can tell, you fuckin' diva." Ghoul snorted and rolled his eyes until Poison smacked him upside the head. He shot Poison a look. "I was tellin' the truth." A big smirk pulled at his lips as Poison stormed off. He totally won that one.

Kobra blinked, seeing his brother return. He shook his head and went over some maps from last night. He was trying to figure out their best plan of attack. They'd been playing defense for far too long and they needed to step up. Maybe it was making them go soft, that would explain last night. Stroking his strong chin, he sighed and pulled a different map out. This one covered the entirety of the Zones. He checked the confirmed Better Living stations. There was one a few hours from here. They could launch a raid and snag their supplies.

At the same time, even that could compromise their current location. They couldn't hide out on their territory. It'd be crawling with Dracs for days. He shifted slightly and checked some of Poison's nearly unreadable scrawl. There was a medical tent: the good news was that there'd be very little guard. The bad news was that it wouldn't have as many resources as a storage unit. There'd be a bigger risk of hurting an ally as well. Some of D's agents were working under Better Living. He knew they usually got stuck with Zone jobs, and it was hard to tell friend from foe when they were covered in white. 

Moving to a second map, he focused on the hot-spots along this Zone. There hadn't been a raid here in nearly two weeks. That was dangerous; they were due for one. Swallowing, Kobra took a big drink out of his flask. This seemed like a hopeless situation. Either they stayed, took defense, and risked running out of supplies. Or left and faced having to find a new base. 

Looking up, he realized Poison was looming above him. "Well, in short, we're fucked."

"Like that's new!" Ghoul chimed in as he headed inside.

Poison frowned and knelt down with him. "Then fix it." He ran his hands along the edges of the map, doing his best to smooth it out. "What are our options?"

"Raid a medi tent, or wait here and defend." Kobra chewed the inside of his cheek.

Poison smacked his shoulder slightly. "Don't do that, you'll make yourself bleed." His tone was gruff, tired. Wincing slightly as he felt pressure on his wrist, Kobra shook his head. "We in shape for this raid?"

Looking around, Kobra frowned deeper. He was still pretty sore from the night before. His hands weren't at full dexterity. But they could fire, Ghoul seemed as hyped up as normal, and Jet looked ready to flirt. That meant he could fight. "I'd say yes." 

Poison nodded. "Someone has to stay behind and keep an eye out here. We should be able to execute this with one behind." Beginning to mutter under his breath, Poison slipped into his own world.

Kobra swallowed. "I'm probably the slowest on the draw." He felt weird admitting it. "I can clean up around here and try to get some defense up?"

Poison frowned at the thought; he didn't particularly like the idea of leaving his brother here. But after a moment, he nodded. He wanted this to go smoothly. 

"Ghoul, Jet, gear up," he growled and grabbed his blaster, checking it over. Ghoul had replaced the cartridge, so he now had full power on it. 

Jet jumped up and nodded to Razor before heading to the Trans. He took the front seat with a smirk, knowing Ghoul would whine about it. He slammed his blaster until it was revving up; he never knew when they'd have a fight on wheels. He nodded when Ghoul climbed into the backseat. 

Poison took off to the sands. His sunglasses sparkled, the sun hitting him in the face from the moon-roof. Honestly, there was nothing like this. Pedal to the metal, the hot wind in your face. All they needed was a little Mad Gear and fuck, life was good. A smile tugged at his lips, and he was relaxed. It was his favorite way to lose himself.

 

\----

 

It was late by the time the three returned. Razor was talking to Kobra about the wounds on his wrist, and she spent time trying to help him wrap it up. They laughed and sat on the bedding swapping medical stories, until Kobra spun in his seat, turning to face the approaching three. With a wave and relaxed smile, Kobra welcomed them back.

As predicted, the run didn't bring much, but they did manage quite a few medical supplies, along with plenty of coffee and a few cans of food. It took them a few trips to bring everything inside, but it was well worth it. Ghoul collapsed onto the ground panting. It looked like his hair was leaking, sweat pouring down his entire body. He wanted nothing more than to jump into Better Living's water supply and never come back.

Jet rolled his eyes at Ghoul's form before smiling and bringing a few cans of food to Razor. She beamed and took them. "Thank you again." She laughed and nodded. Her smile seemed to light up the room.

Revenge glanced up when everyone came inside and weakly went to stand by. She didn't help, but no one asked. She shrugged and retreated to the corner where she slept the night before. She didn't see much point in getting in the way.

Running a hand through his hair, Ghoul shook his head, dust flying around. "Coffee!" He beamed at everyone and hugged his tin of precious beans. He rocked it back and forth as if it were an infant, electing a giggle from Razor.

Jet smiled and leaned back. Well, this was the life. He hadn't enjoyed downtime this much in so long. He sighed dreamily and looked around; this was the life of a Killjoy. And he loved every minute of it. Life seemed to be heading back to normal. 

After the long run, the group seemed to be nestling into sleep. Kobra was a bit on edge and opted to look out. He swallowed and went outside, doing his best to tinker with his bike despite his wrapped-up hands. At least it was something to do. Come on baby, purr for me. He ran his hands along the metal of the bike. She'd seen better days. This is what he got for keeping her in the back of the Trans. You're the shiniest bike out here, you gotta stick around...

The sun's rays hit the warehouse, reflecting onto the faces of the sleeping ones. Revenge batted at them and rolled over, falling onto Poison's sleeping form. He jumped up, alarmed, and grabbed his gun, causing the two to bump heads. 

"Ow..." Revenge rubbed her head and blinked at him sleepily. It seemed everyone else was peacefully unaware of their commotion.

"Sorry," Poison muttered and looked down at his gun, putting it back in its holster. "I thought you were--" He broke off. "I'm sorry." He sighed, feeling unlike himself again.

"No biggie," she whispered and turned away from him, trying to get her hair untangled from her piercings. Poison blinked and moved to help her, awkwardly chuckling when their hands brushed.

"I--" He cleared his throat. "Would you like to, I dunno, go hang out today?"

She gave him a careful look and managed a weak chuckle. "Like a date?" She arched her brow.

"Well, not so much, I mean, just get to know each other?" he stammered out, very unlike the smooth-talking leader he normally was. He cleared his throat again and shook his head. "I mean, if you're gonna be sticking around for a bit, yeah."

She twisted her lips and nodded with a small smile. "I think I'd like that," she whispered and let out a small giggle.

"Yeah?" He smirked and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, good.” He stood and extended his hand.

She smiled and took it, heading with him outside, keeping their hands close, but not quite holding each other. Their fingers and knuckles would occasionally brush each other, sending a quick jolt down Revenge’s spine. 

They found a decent sized rock not far from the warehouse. He knelt on it, and she sat with her back to it and looked up at him softly.

“So,” he inhaled, “Here we are.”

“Yup.” She half-smiled up at him and leaned back further.

He chuckled. “So how did you end up in Nevada anyway?”

She shrugged. “Just kinda drifted around, ya know?” She sighed and stretched out, relaxing a bit.

“Well, usually when people drift they’re searchin’ for somethin’.” Poison scratched at his chin and looked her up and down. “What were you lookin’ for?”

She chewed the inside of her lip and sighed. What do I got to lose? “Well, I had a-- I like to get high.” She shrugged

He arched a brow slightly. “What kind of high we talkin’?”

She shook her head. “You know, high-high.” She grimaced slightly, afraid of his reaction.

“I think we all have a point in our lives like that, eh?” 

She blinked and slowly relaxed again. “You into shooting up?”

He blinked and shook his head. “No, but I've done my fair share of stupid shit. Doin’ that out here, well, you’d get yourself killed before ya knew it.” He sighed. “Do ya still do it?”

She frowned and rubbed her arm. “I mean-- not recently.”

“And how long is recently?”

“Since you know, those attacks?” she offered. She wasn’t exactly ashamed of it, but she didn’t need to be lectured like a child.

He put his hands behind his head. “Well, first things first, you’re stopping now.”

“What?!” she snapped, clearly not expecting this to turn this way. “Like hell I am!”

“Well, then you can find a new shelter.” He smirked, knowing he had the upper hand. “We don’t tolerate that shit here, no exceptions.”

She opened her mouth and looked away, a string of colorful swears passing her lips. This was total bullshit!

He sighed and looked at her. “If you stay with us, you’re family, and family doesn’t let you destroy yourself.” He frowned at her heavily.

She winced at the word and sighed. “O-okay, fine.” 

“What? Let me guess your family was horrible and killed by Better Li--”

“No, not even close,” she mumbled.

He arched a brow. So many times he had heard the same story, the same cry of vengeance. “What happened, then?”

“My parents were awesome.” She managed a weak smile and it fell. “I just lost touch once I left, just wasn’t enough.”

He sighed and patted her back. This was still awkward for him. “Hey, I’m sure you were more than enough. That’s the job of parents, to love their kids.”

She smiled at him and nodded weakly. “Maybe you’re right.” She sighed and leaned back.

He smirked at her. “Of course I am, I’m Party Poison.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like that’s such a big deal.”

“It is, after all I am at the top of Better Living’s Most Wanted.”

She laughed. “You? But you’re a big old dork!”

He rolled his eyes, holding his smirk. “I take offense to that.”

She laughed at him again and smirked back. “So what? You’re hot shit?” she offered.

He nodded and leaned a bit closer. “Fuck yeah I am.”

She inched closer, feeling his fingertips trace along the contour of her face, about to kiss, when the door to the warehouse flew open, a furious looking Ghoul there.

“Poison?! What the fuck!” he snapped, Revenge quickly ducking back and running into the warehouse. This was one she wanted to avoid.

“What now, Ghoul?” Poison sighed, a little bit more than annoyed at the fact that Ghoul had interrupted him.

“You said you weren’t going to do this! I wake up and find you missing and here you are about to fuck that-- that thing!” he snapped.

“First off, I wasn’t going to fuck her, secondly, she’s actually really cool!”

He rolled his eyes. “She’s just some stupid bimbo trying to chain you down, fucking fangirls.” 

Poison frowned. “She knows nothing about this shit, just give her a break!”

“I won’t! She’s going to take you away from us!”

“No! Your fucking attitude is what’s putting me off here!” he snarled.

“She’s changed you! It hasn’t even taken two months! You woulda never snapped at me before!”

Poison rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I woulda, when you’re being an idiot like you are now!”

Ghoul snarled back, “Stop, Poison, just don’t let yourself become like this!”

Poison rolled his eyes. “I’m not becoming like anything!” he growled and shook his head. “I’m done talking about this with you, talk to me again when you grow up!” he snapped and headed into the warehouse, fuming. He headed straight for the coffee pot to make some; that would calm him down or intensify his rage. Either way he wouldn’t have to deal with it.

Jet blinked at Poison but shrugged it off; he wasn’t the fucking parent here. He had his own life, wants, and desires. He moved to sit by Razor and smiled. “So once things get settled down, I think we should like, get dinner.”

Razor blinked, clearly shocked, and pulled back. “O-oh my god, what?”

He blinked. “Well, I have a lot of fun with you and I dunno, I thought it’d be cool if we went out sometime?”

Razor shook her head, eyes still wide. “Oh my God, Jet, I am so sorry, I thought you knew!”

“Knew what?” Now he was just getting confused.

“I’m a lesbian! I have a girlfriend!” Her hand clamped over her mouth, clearly stunned.

Jet’s eyes grew wide and his face grew red in embarrassment. “O-oh...I mean I didn’t, I’m sorry, I-” He didn’t know what to say.

“I-I thought I told you” She awkwardly put her hand on his shoulder. “I-I’m sorry.”

He shrugged her off slightly but nodded, disappointed. “It’s fine, it was my fault for assuming.” He managed a smile. “Really, I’ll be fine,” he sighed out weakly. He patted her shoulder and rose up, feeling like he had just made the biggest ass of himself. He put his face in his hands and pulled them back with a forced smile before going to the maps to plan out their next route.

Razor frowned as she watched him. She felt bad. She bit her lip and moved to get some coffee for him. She was trying here. She never meant to lead him on!

He blinked and looked at her, taking it. He was let down, sure, but at least they could be friends. He gave her a smile and nodded. “Thanks, I could use it,” he sighed weakly.

She nodded and sat with him. “For sure.”

“So, you got a girlfriend?” He arched a brow. “Tell me about her.”

“Yeah, her name is, uh, Lethal Lolita, or uh, I call her Loli, and she works at a diner, makes the best food you could think of.” She smiled widely at him.

“Oh yeah? Sounds awesome.” He smiled.

“She is.” Razor beamed at him. “She’s adorable, just this little ball of pink sunshine. She can make everyone smile, I swear it.” 

“Seems fitting for you.” He nodded.

She smiled and nodded “She helped me a lot when my mother was still alive, so I feel like, I owe her a lot.”

“Oh?” He looked at her.

Razor looked down. “Well, mom died in that first raid, they didn’t hurt her, but the shock-- her heart gave out.” She swallowed thickly. “Before that my mom was really really sick, and I had to take care of her, so I’d get dinner at the diner, and Loli would always give me leftovers and try to give me discounts. She’s really helped me out.” She smiled sadly.

“You miss your mom?” He was worried he was probing too deeply.

Razor paused and sadly smiled. “But it was just her time, she’d been fighting for so long. I could tell she was getting tired, I couldn’t ask any more than that.” She sighed.

Jet nodded and patted her shoulder. “I think everyone goes through that out here. I know I did,” he mumbled weakly. “I miss my folks a lot, but I’m glad they don’t have to live in this.” 

Razor blinked. “Did you all--?”

“Yeah,” Jet cut her off and sighed. “It sucks really bad,” he admitted and looked at his hands. “Sometimes I wish I could turn back time, but gotta live for today.” He smiled at her again. This time it was sad, aged almost. He had been through more than he wanted to ever admit.

Razor smiled weakly and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze. He held onto her and closed his eyes, so tired of being strong. He just needed this moment. Just a second to lose himself and feel okay.

The warehouse seemed to quiet down as Jet fell into Razor's lap. He had felt detached for so long. He just needed someone to notice. Kobra coughed and headed outside, cigarette in hand. He lit up shakily and closed his eyes. He couldn't help but think of her. The way her blue eyes would light up when she smiled, or how her nose would crinkle when he made a bad joke. He sighed and took a deep breath. These memories were toxic; she was long gone by now. The further away the better. He didn't have to worry about her being safe anymore. He wasn't a threat.

Poison soon came out to join him and looked his brother up and down. He looked a mess. He patted his shoulder and nodded weakly, lighting up himself. He sighed the smoke out and examined his cigarette. "You thinking about her?"

Kobra frowned and glanced over. "Why ask? You know the answer."

Poison frowned. The only thing he liked less than that woman was his brother hurting. "I mean, you can talk to me if you need to."

"Why? You hated her."

"Because I'm still your brother, and I love you more than I hate her."

Kobra sighed. "Of course I miss her, I mean love-- loved her." He sighed.

"Loved?"

"Well, I can't let myself love her anymore." 

"I'm sorry." Poison really meant it.

"It's just, it hurts too much to wonder." Kobra sighed, hiding his emotions.

"I think there's nothing wrong with loving someone, even if you have to let them go." Poison leaned against the wall. "It's what keeps 'em alive."

Kobra nodded and snuffed out his cigarette. He tried not to smoke too many of them, it was so bad. But it was better than most pills could do. "Thanks, man." He sighed and ran a hand through his locks. "I appreciate you just, being here." He smiled for a moment before heading inside, letting it fall.

Poison sighed and inhaled again. Was this going to be his fate if he let that chick in? Sighing to himself, he headed to the Trans. He just needed to escape and think about things.

\---

When Poison didn't return within the hour, the entire warehouse was put on alert. The Trans was gone, and that could be really good or really bad. No real middle ground here. Kobra was pacing, afraid something he said had set Poison off.

A knock came at the warehouse and Jet darted to answer it. He blinked, seeing an unfamiliar face. Standing in front of him was a girl. She couldn't have been more than twenty. Her forest green eyes danced when she saw him and she broke into a huge grin.  
"Oh my God! Y-you're THE Jet Star! O-oh my freakin' gawd!" She let out a small squeal that made Jet take a few steps back. Her eyes were wide as plates.

"Identify yourself," Jet snapped, harsher than he meant to, grabbing for his gun.  
She raised her hands and let out a nervous chuckle. "I-I'm sorry, I just I saw people were...ya know, makin' noise here, oh my God this is so shiny!" She beamed.

Jet blinked and lowered his hand. She seemed to be just some wave head. He sighed. "What's your name, kid?"

"Kid?!" The girl pouted. "I'll have you know I am a totes awesome adult!" She beamed. "Name's OasisJet!" 

Jet arched a brow at the last part. "Listen, uh, OasisJet."

"Call me Oasis." She giggled and blushed slightly, digging her toe into the sand.

"Oasis, we're in the middle of an emergency, so can we move this along?"

"Emergency?!" She blinked and peeked over his shoulder, seeing Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid. "O-oh my God, is that THEM?!" She squealed and jumped up and down. "I can't believe this is happening to me!" She beamed.

Jet was a little less than amused. "Like I said, what do you need?"

"Well, I was just wantin' to see if some runners needed some help out here! And I can see you guys do!" She smiled and motioned to the side of the building with her thumb. "I was gonna see if you'd be interested in crashin' at my place, got food and everything. Even got a ride out there."

Jet blinked and frowned. As nice as that sounded, he couldn't really move the group. "As much as I'd like to take you up, we're on lockdown."

Her face fell slightly and she looked down to her feet again, kicking at the sands. "W-well I could help?" She offered. "I don't know, I could like, help watch out?"  
Jet looked back and sighed. What was one more? "Fine, just get in." He wasn't entirely thrilled, but it was something.

Oasis let out another squeal and ran inside, looking around. Kobra blinked and nodded weakly. He trusted Jet's judgment. Ghoul, however, had to say something. After all, he was incapable of keeping his mouth shut.

"Aww, lookit the little girl." He cooed and snickered, thinking he was funny.  
Oasis giggled. "Like, holy shit, you're Fun Ghoul, you're supposed to be the best shot in the Zones!" She put her hands to her cheeks and grinned wide, ignoring the remark altogether.

Kobra rolled his eyes and swiftly punched his shoulder. Ghoul groaned and rubbed it. Dickface. He stuck his tongue out slightly as Oasis darted over, looking at Kobra.  
"A-and you're Kobra Kid! Mr. Kung Fu master and all-around rocker!" She let out another squeal. She was like a kid in a candy store. "How did you learn those shiny moves?!" She beamed.

Kobra blinked. He wasn't used to having the fangirls. Normally they went for Poison or Ghoul. He smiled weakly at her. "Takes years of practice." He smiled a bit warmer.  
She let out a squeal and beamed, not hearing the car pull up and the door being thrown open, framing Poison's figure as he came in. Oasis's eyes went wide. "And now the sassy leader!" She bit her lower lip.

Poison blinked and looked at the new girl. "Who’s-- aw shit, we got another one?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

Jet sighed. "She offered us a place to stay, and honestly, I dunno how many more days I can take sleeping on this floor."

Oasis nodded. "I got me a motel, it's fuckin' sweet!" 

Poison frowned and looked Jet over before nodding, sighing he shook his head. "Gear up, people."

The warehouse was soon buzzing with everyone packing, loading up the Trans and Oasis' prized Cuda. The girls were all to ride together while the guys followed.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Oasis beamed as everyone got in and she started up her baby. It let out a whine of protest, but started up.

Ghoul frowned, sinking into the back seat. "You know, we could just go and let the new chick watch 'em."

Poison frowned. The look he shot through the rear-view mirror squashed any intention of that. Crossing his arms, Ghoul mumbled pouting slightly. Why go to the women, they were supposed to come to them!

Poison followed the Cuda for about half an hour and pulled up at an old motel. It was falling apart and in worse shape than their diner. The windows were cracked and the door barely held on by a hinge. Poison frowned, getting out and heading to load everything into the building. Luckily, they tended to travel light and didn't need to carry much. He was greeted inside by some hissing cockroaches and an old rat. 

Once everyone was safely inside, Oasis smiled. "Just pick a room, I like to stay behind the front desk." She motioned to the little setup she had, plush stuffed panda and all. She realized it was out from her covers and darted to cover it. Of course, this drew more attention and she crawled under her blankets, her cheeks beet red. She didn't want to come out until everyone had a room.

The group split up. It wasn't a huge motel, but it was big enough so everyone got their own space, a welcome change from their travels. The real challenge was finding a room that wasn't rotting or moldy. Something that they wouldn't get sick from. Most of the rooms on the upper level were out, so they stuck to the lower level and working areas. Oasis's attachment to her spot made sense.

Poison had finished unloading his bags with a sigh. He stretched his arms and shrugged his jacket off. His mind was racing with thoughts of what happened earlier, not just with his brother, but with Ghoul. Ghoul was just trying to look after him and maybe he had taken this too far. He sighed, feeling like the biggest douche on the planet. Rising up, he headed to go to the door, but blinked when there was a knock. Carefully he opened the door, slightly shocked to see Revenge.

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger and stared at her feet, chewing on the inside of her lip. "Can I come in?" she whispered.

Poison nodded and stepped back, holding the door and letting her enter. She sat on his bed and looked over. He closed the door and moved to sit by her.

"So, earlier outside..." She sighed "We were going to--"  
"Well, I was going to, I don't know if you--"

“I was too, and it just seemed like--" 

He took her arms and looked into her eyes, watching the words fade away. They both quickly moved close, effectively bumping their noses. She jumped back her hand clamped to her nose. Poison, on the other hand, started laughing and shaking his head.

"What's so funny?" She arched a brow, sniffing, praying she didn't get a bloody nose.  
"It seems fate is conspiring against us."

"Fate, schmate," she mumbled and took his shirt in her hands, gently stroking the old fabric.

He carefully took her shoulders and stared into her eyes, with a smirk he pulled her into a kiss. It seemed to last only a moment, and it was the most innocent exchange she'd had by far. He smirked when he pulled back, her lips still parted, a furious blush on her cheeks.

"That's what I like to see." He chuckled and nudged her chin to close her mouth.

Her lips twisted slightly and she looked away, her heart pounding. "D-don't get cocky," she whispered and rose up.

He leaned back on the bed holding his smirk. "Little late for that one, Crash Queen." He chuckled.

She blinked and turned to him, her cheeks a deep pink. "Well, I-I, I better get back to my room before Ghoul comes in." Her voice was husky, breathless, as if she'd been making out with him, rather than giving him a peck on the lips.

He chuckled and rolled onto his stomach. "You do that, then." He winked at her playfully as she stumbled away. He rolled onto his back, lacing his fingers and staring up. His smirk was still there. Aw hell yeah, he did good.

Once Razor was settled, she headed downstairs to try to find Oasis. She smiled, seeing her curled up, a cigarette loosely hanging from her lips. "Hey there!" She smiled. "We were never really properly introduced, I'm Razor Pulse." She extended her hand.

Oasis smiled and took it. "OasisJet." She grinned back.

"By any chance, do you have a working radio?" 

Oasis blinked at the question and beamed. "Of course I do!" She laughed and led Razor to the back room. An old CB radio hung there.

Razor nodded in thanks and headed to try to get on the right waves. "Loli?" she called out when she was sure she was on the right one.

"Hello?" the chipper voiced replied back from the other line. She was more than happy by the sounds of it. "You've got Loli. Whatcha need?"

"Hey honey, how are you?" She smiled. It must have been a month since they last talked  
"Razor?!" she gasped. Her voice increased at least three pitches. "I'm great. Everything is great now! How are you? Where are you? Is everything okay?" Loli was speaking fast and wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. She was too excited.

"I can't tell you, I'm sorry," she whispered and closed her eyes. "But I'm safe, there was a raid, Momma died, I miss you so much." She sighed again. "I love you, baby doll."

There was a long and heavy silence, then the sound of the radio hitting the floor. "S-sorry. CB slipped from my hands..." she whispered, Her tone had changed. No longer perky, but mournful. "I'm...promise you're safe? I love you, Razor. Swear you're safe!"

"I am, baby, I'm with the Fabulous Four. I just can't give out my location ‘cuz they could find us, or you. I just wanna make sure you're safe."

"I understand," she whispered. "I am safe. I'm perfectly safe. I just miss you...it's lonely here."

"I'll come home as soon as I can, baby, I promise," she whispered and closed her eyes. "Save some shortcake for me."

“You know I always do," Loli replied with a soft laugh. "Extra strawberries and all." She sighed and took another pause. "I love you."

"I will. Of course I will. Don't cry." But that was ridiculous to say as Loli was in tears herself. "I don't wanna hang up," she whimpered quietly.

"I can't stay much longer, love," she whispered, choking it. "It's been a long day and we've been moving around, I need to rest. Plus I don't wanna wake anyone. I'm sorry baby..."

"I just...okay." She sniffed. "Please stay safe. Please." She was begging her. Loli couldn't handle losing Razor. She loved her far too much for something like that to happen.

Razor smiled, more tears rolling down her cheeks. "I love you, I love you so much," she whispered. "Good night my sweet pink angel. Sleep well and dream all the way to Wonderland."

"I love you too." She smiled weakly. "You dream about Wonderland with me tonight so we can be together." She let out a few more sniffles before finally finding the strength to hang up. Wishing that their time apart would end soon.

After their talk, Razor felt better. She missed Loli, but she knew as long as she was here, she couldn't contact her often. The thought hurt, but at least she had her love. Her hand rested over her head and she smiled sadly. "I'll always love you, Loli," she whispered before heading back to her room. She crawled in bed and closed her eyes, which were tearing up. She still felt so alone.

Oasis curled up close as she realized her idols were living with her. She tugged her panda plush closer and smiled. Her little shameful need was a secret, and no one needed to know. Maybe she could finally properly thank them for what they did.

Oasis was the first one up the next morning. She spent the entire time hunting lizards. She even made a small fire outside to grill them. She was going to show them they did something good in saving her life.

It was a long time ago and they probably didn't even remember. But she was running with her friends. They were young and inexperienced, but they thought they knew everything. They ended in a fight with some Draculoids; they were outnumbered. The girls scattered. She remembered falling, her ankle cracking, and the sinister aura of the Drac looming over her; the barrel of his gun staring her down, and the shock of his body when he fell; and Jet Star's signature blaster smoking as the Fab Four swooshed in and took the entire raid down. Kobra had wrapped her ankle and sent her on her way. Ever since that day, she was known as OasisJet.

She smiled sadly, remembering the past, her friends long gone. Were they even alive? Still running, causing hell? Or had they passed on, given up and joined up with the City? She shook her head. No, they never would, they'll fight ‘till the end. Something about their energy filled her. She smiled wide and ran her hand along her face, absentmindedly toying with her nose ring. Those were the good old days. And she would never let those slip away.

She didn't hear Jet walk up behind her, the sand crunching under his feet. He knelt down. "Smells good." He sighed.

She jumped and spun to face him. "O-oh....hi." She blinked in shock, not realizing she was burning this section of meat. He smirked and moved to pull it back. 

"I don't think you want it that overdone." He chuckled weakly, giving her a smile; he was trying to show how grateful he was for everything she'd done for them.

"I-i..." She blushed. "Thank you," she blurted out.

"Well, I just don't think you want it charred."

"N-no not for that." She blushed. "A few years ago, when I started running--" She blushed harder. "You saved my life and I just....thank you."

He blinked and looked at her. The memory was there, but it was kind of fuzzy. "Oh yeah! You guys got in the middle of that raid we'd been scoping."

Oasis turned a deeper shade of red. Of course she’d made a fool of herself in front of him. She tugged at her hair and groaned.

He smiled and rested his hand on hers. "Hey, everyone makes a mistake once in a while." He winked at her.

Her eyes grew wider and she felt her heart stop. She couldn't take her eyes off him: those beautiful eyes, long lashes, perfect lips and smile, and messy, sexy, manly hair. She was on the verge of swooning. "I-I--"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Ya don't gotta be so tense, I promise I’m actually a nice guy." He winked at her and patted her shoulder, retracting his hand.

She blushed bright red and put her hands to her cheeks. She couldn't believe that he was talking to her, let alone touching her!

Jet smiled. "There we go. Now why don't I go ahead and get everyone and we could enjoy a nice meal?" 

Oasis nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She just kept her goofy little smile and bright blush. 

The guys soon joined them outside for food and Razor came out next. She smiled and did her best to use the herbs Oasis had to flavor the food. This was wild, there was no other word. It was beyond any feast they could ever want. Like life before the wars: friends, good food and a nice sunrise.

Revenge was the last to come in. Most of the food was gone, but she blinked sleepily. Poison smiled and waved her over to sit in the sand next to him. She smiled and sat against him, nudging him slightly.

Ghoul watched the two with a frown. He didn't like where this was headed. He had to put a stop to it. He couldn't risk this breaking this group apart. They had almost lost Kobra once, and they couldn't lose a leader.

Jet smiled, talking to Razor like nothing had happened. She was glowing tonight. She couldn't help it. Talking to Loli, as bittersweet as it seemed, had detoxed her from the mess. They were laughing and speaking about nothing in particular; aside from Ghoul's anger, this was a perfect day.

Razor helped clean up, though Oasis protested. Razor shook her off, though, "Come on, you caught us breakfast, the least I can do is clean up!" She laughed and put the fire out.  
Ghoul walked over to Poison. "When will we be returning home?"

Poison stood his arms crossed and sighed, "It shouldn't be hot for too much longer. We need to make sure there's no monitoring equipment before we go back."

Ghoul frowned. "I can jam that shit, no problem."

"Well, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Ghoul sighed and chewed on his lower lip. He picked up a small snake he saw writhing on the ground. The least he could do was make the most of his time here. It was just a garden snake, no venom. He smirked and slipped it down the back of Poison's jacket when he sat down. Now there was no chance of romance now.

Ghoul headed inside and snickered as soon as he heard Revenge screaming and Poison bellowing from shock. Laughing, he headed to the motel. He found the radio and rang up D, leaning on the wall.

"Hey old man!" he called when Dr. D picked up.

"What do ya want, ya runt?" D snapped back.

"I was just wondering if you can someone to do Intel work on the diner, make sure it's not being monitored."

"Why don't you get off yer lazy ass and do it yerself."

Ghoul sighed. "If I could I would, but Poison won't let meee," he whined into the phone.  
"Don't start that, ya youngin'."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE," Ghoul whined out and threw his head back, smacking it against the wall. He hissed in pain.

"You deserve whatever ya did to yerself." D frowned. "I gotta get back on the air, I'll talk to Pony and see if he'll do it."

Ghoul pouted when D hung up. He had to find a way to make this work out. Now if Poison wouldn't budge and God only knew when Pony could do his run, the only option left was the hooker.

He sighed and headed to go look for them. He checked all the rooms, but they weren't there.

Kobra was giving Oasis a hand-to-hand combat lesson and Razor was showing Jet how to wrap a tourniquet in less than thirty seconds. Ghoul headed outside and scowled at the sight.   
Poison had his hands in Revenge's hair, their foreheads together. Ghoul could recognize that smirk anywhere. He was giving the ol' "Your eyes shine like diamonds and your smile is more beautiful than all of the flowers in the desert." He rolled his eyes and grabbed a small rock. He chuckled at the two and ducked down behind the door before it hit.

Poison cried out as a rock smacked him across the cheek. He grabbed his skin, feeling the sting of cut flesh. His head shot around, trying to see what was going on. Who the fuck threw that? He frowned. No one was there. Maybe it was just the wind, or maybe it was a short fuckin' ‘Joy who needed a good ol' ass whuppin'. 

"Excuse me." He smiled at Revenge and stroked her cheek, then went inside to find that fucker. "Ghoul! Get your ass over here!" he snapped and crossed his arms. He could feel his cheek swelling.

Ghoul walked over and batted his eyes innocently. "Yessss?" He smiled at Poison.  
"Why'd ya throw it you little shit?"

"Throw what? I have no idea what you're talkin' about. Were you stung by a bee?" He smirked.

"I swear to God I will kick your ass," Poison snapped at him.

"Sucks when someone lies to your face huh?" He snarled and spat at him.

Poison blinked, taken back. "Don't pull that shit, Ghoul, I'm not in the mood."

"Oi, just fuck her and leave her like everyone else!"

"Well maybe I actually like this one!" Poison snapped, unable to believe what he'd just said. Ghoul's dropped jaw confirmed he'd said that. Well, shit.

Disgust, that was all Ghoul could fathom. This was the biggest bullshit he'd ever encountered. There was no way this was happening; he refused to believe or attempt to comprehend it. He shook his head and took a step back. "Fuck this shit, Poison," he growled and headed outside. His hands were shaking so badly he didn't even know if he could pull a cigarette out. His eyes shot to Revenge, who was still sitting. His upper lip curled and he headed to the side of the motel to sulk and smoke alone. Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him...

Poison tugged at his red locks and sighed. There was no way. He actually liked someone, how long had that been? He tried to think back and winced at the painful memories. It had been a long time, and honestly, he wasn't sure if he should like anyone. But it didn't change the fact that he did. He had fun with her, and everything was so relaxed. He sighed and headed out to see her waiting. He loved the way she smiled and her face lit up. He felt his heart pounding and took a quick breath before going back over.

She looked at him and blinked when he took her hands. She stared up at him for a moment. "Poison?"

"Okay, just-- are you into me?" he rasped out and knelt down to her level.  
She blinked. "Wait, what? Poison, I--"

"Are you into me or not? it's a simple question." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't have time to fuck around out here, so I want to know." Revenge's eyes grew wide and she just nodded. Poison smirked and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Okay then, that settles that." He chuckled and buried his face in her hair. This, this was okay.

She smiled, a blush creeping up over the sunburn. She laughed. "Are you okay up there?" It was like she just melted around him, butterflies in her stomach and all that. Poison simply nodded and pulled back, noticing her nose's color change.

"Let's get inside," he offered with a small smile, taking her hand and leading her into the motel.

Ghoul came around a while later. This entire situation disgusted him. His lips twisted into a smirk. He knew just the way to get her out of here. He walked to Kobra's room, then knocked on the door frame. The two medics jumped and looking over.

"Can I steal Kobra?" He arched a brow with a chuckle

Kobra nodded and headed to follow Ghoul outside. "What's going on?"

"Well, I just wanted to check on you."

"What are you talking about?" Kobra frowned.

"Well, with you know, your girl going AWOL, and now that your brother's got a squeeze, figured you might be a little upset."

Kobra's face drained of color and it took him a moment to process what was being said. "W-what?"

"Well, he's dating the purple haired chick?"

"No he's not." Kobra shook his head. "That ain't my brother."

"Well, I just walked in on them cuddling."

"Pfft, so he's trying to get in her pants, what else is new?" He couldn't believe this.

"Looked like more than that to me, why don't you go look for yourself?" Ghoul offered with an arched brow.

Kobra shook his head, going for Poison's room. This wasn't happening. It couldn't. His brother wasn't like that, and more importantly he would never do that to him. Swallowing, each step seemed to get heavier for him. He carefully opened the door, doing his best to keep silent, and went pale when the door opened.

\---

Ghoul smirked, watching Kobra retreat into the motel. He ran a hand through his slick hair and headed to continue with his plan. After all, he was doing this to help them out. Women-folk brought nothing but trouble out here. Fucking 'em was one thing, but if you kept ‘em around...well, you might as well shoot yourself in the head now. Striding to Jet's room, he swung the door open, arching a brow to see Oasis naked in bed with Jet.   
"Oh my god!" she squealed out and grabbed the blankets to cover her nude body. She hid under the covers like a puppy dog, not wanting to come out.

Jet sighed and tugged his jeans on, being sure to face away from Ghoul when he rose. "What do you want?" came his smooth voice.

Ghoul smirked and shook his head. "I need your help with something."

"What? Can't you see I'm busy?" Jet sighed, rolling his eyes and lighting a cigarette up. "Oh, fine." He gave in when Ghoul stared to whine. He rose up, nodding to Oasis, who had peeked her head out. 

Once entering the room, Jet crossed his arms over his bare chest. He was still sweaty and reeked of sex and body odor. "Well?" He arched a brow.

"So, I think you should take that Razor chick home."

Jet chewed on the inside of his lip. "I told her I'd keep an eye on her, make sure she was safe."

Ghoul's face fell, getting serious. "Come on, man, she's gonna be miserable here."

Jet's brows furrowed in thought. "Still, man--"

"I mean, how awkward is it that you hit on her? She must be trying to avoid that elephant in the room."

Jet lost some color and swallowed thickly. "I see your point," he whispered and headed to walk to Razor's room.

Ghoul sat back on his bed and leaned back with a smirk. He knew Jet would see it his way. He sighed dreamily, hearing frantic footsteps coming down the hall. He arched his brow when Kobra burst into his room. Furious tears were streaking down his face and he seemed to be hyperventilating.

Ghoul jumped up and put his hand on Kobra's back. "Are you okay?" He mocked shock.

"N-no." Kobra choked out through his thick tears. He knelt over slightly his hands resting on his knees as he struggled for breath, occasionally trying to wipe his tears with the back of his hand.

"What happened?" He kept rubbing his back weakly until Kobra's breathing slowed.

"Y-you were right, you were beyond right." He looked to Ghoul, pain and agony in his hazel eyes. "He, I can't believe he would do this to me!"

Ghoul shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry man, I would've thought he'd be more sensitive to what you're going through."

"I-I want her gone." Kobra panted weakly.

"Well, I have an idea of how to work that out, actually."

"You do?" He arched a brow.

"Well, you take him out and I'll have a talk with her, maybe get her to see bein’ around us ain't a good thing," he offered.

Kobra bit his lip and nodded. "I can do that," he whispered. "You aren't gonna fuck her, are you?"

Ghoul rolled his eyes."I ain't into hookers." He shook his head at the look Kobra shot him. "I'm not into the ones like that." He smirked.

Kobra swallowed. He was a bit leery of this idea, but if he saw that again, it'd break him.


	7. Forces Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul and Kobra's plan comes to fruition, but the backlash is something they never anticipated. Things are more stressed between the faboulous four then ever, when a wounded ally shows up. A choice about his fate, his very beings on the shoulders of two of our heros. Betrayal comes to light and a fued breaks out, will anything ever stop the drama?

Jet walked into Razor's room. It seemed she had retreated when Kobra didn't come back. He smiled at her. "So I was thinking I'd take ya home."

She blinked and looked at him, clearly shocked. "Oh?"

"Well, I figured you'd wanna get home to Loli."

Razor's heart broke a little, and yet it soared. "Yeah, I should, I miss her."

"Well, where is she?" 

"Zone Two." Razor smiled at the thought of how Loli would look when she came home.

"I"ll give ya a ride, and you buy me some of her cookin', sound good?" He smiled.  
She nodded and began to gather what little she had. Her heart was pounding as they left. Did I do something wrong? She swallowed. Jet snagged the Trans’ keys off a desk in the main room and headed outside. At least they'd gotten a good night's rest. He tugged his helmet on and started the car, driving off toward the northeast.

The ride was quiet, but not tense in the least. More like silence between family members or friends. It was tiring on Jet's end, though. They were a ways out and it took him nearly four hours just to hit Zone Two. Then there was the mess of finding the Last Chance Diner. Eventually they managed to find it. Razor grinned from ear to ear and ran out of the car as soon as they pulled to a stop. She flung the doors open and looked around. "Loli?!"

From over the blaring and static-filled pop music that filled the diner came a chirp of a voice, then a slight squeal. "Razor?!" After tossing a plate out of the way, the small woman dashed out to the front from the kitchen. Her pink hair was in her face, and her eyes were wide. "Oh my God, Razor!"

Razor ran over as fast as she could and threw her arms around the smaller woman. Both were short and Loli was clearly about half Razor's size. Their faces lit up. "Oh my God, I've missed you so much!" Tears were rolling down her freckled cheeks as she buried her face in Loli's hair.

Loli let out a small sob as they embraced. She wasn’t planning on letting go of Razor anytime soon. "I-I missed you too! I didn't know you'd be here, I would h-have made more food." Her voice shook in both shock and happiness. Razor was back. Really here with her...

She smiled and cupped her face. "O-oh, this is my friend Jet." She motioned to the man behind her. "I promised to get him some of your home cooked food, think it'd be too much to ask for?"

Loli quickly wiped her eyes, trying not to seem too much of a mess. She wasn't used to crying in front of strangers. She was supposed to be the happy one. Quickly she put a smile on her lips and nodded to Jet. "If he took care of you, he's welcome to have anything he wants." She smiled. "I'm Loli. It's nice to meet you."

Jet smiled and moved to walk over. "Ahaha, any food sounds good to me." He smirked and crossed his arms.

She giggled and nodded, quickly moving to hand him a menu. "Knock yourself out." Loli beamed, smiling as once again she hugged Razor.

Jet looked it over and his smile grew. "How about this burger with the extra bacon?" The idea of real meat tempted him once again.

"Of course. Anything for a friend. Because you're a friend now. I hope you know that. Anyone who helps my Razor is a friend." She couldn't seem to emphasize that enough. "I'll be right back, okay?" she chirped, walking backwards to the kitchen so that she was still able to look at the two of them. "One burger with extra bacon coming up!"

\---

The meal came and went, goodbyes were said and Jet yawned, taking the coffee Loli gave him. He downed as much as he could there. Anything to manage to stay awake on the drive home. But he could feel the car swerving back and forth as he did his best to stay on the road. The line of the horizon and the night sky seemed to blur again. Shaking himself awake the best he could, Jet couldn't suppress a yawn. He felt his eyes close, just for a moment, when he heard a big bang.

He'd driven right into a decent sized boulder. Going pale, he jumped out to inspect the damage. The entire front of the car was smashed. Shit, he'd have a hell of a time explaining this one to Poison.

He managed to get the car to start, though it creaked and fought him the rest of the way home. It took him about four hours to just to pull up at the motel. He got out and sleepily stumbled inside, not even making it to his room before he passed out on the floor.

 

\---

Poison woke up; his eyes felt glued shut. He felt a form shift against him and jumped, but soon relaxed, seeing the flurry of violet hair around them. He smiled and winced when he moved. He had fallen asleep sitting up with her in his arms. He stretched out and coughed slightly; the entire room reeked of sweat. It was muggy here and they had no water to spare. He chuckled at the idea of the prim woman he met reeking as bad as he did. He gently shook her and she rolled over swatting at his hand, mumbling something about dying.  
He laughed and looked up when his brother came in. He blinked sleepily, not fully taking in his words.

"--to go."

"Go where?" Poison yawned and slipped out of bed.

"Check out the diner." Kobra frowned. "Didn't you listen?"

"Nope." Poison yawned again and grabbed his jacket, slinging it over his shoulders. "Why are we going?"

"See if we can locate home." He frowned.

Grabbing his blaster, Poison shook his head. He thought it was too soon. But if his brother thought it was a good idea, well, they had to at least check it out, right? Kobra nodded and headed out with him, unaware of the state of the Trans Am. As soon as Poison saw it he went pale, flailing and rushing over and grabbing it.

"MY BABY!" Poison gasped in shock as he looked her over. She was a mess.

Kobra winced. This was going to be bad. "I'm going to kill Jet!" Poison snapped, but Kobra grabbed his arm, preventing him from going in.

"Let's just go to the diner and get what we need, bring it back, and Ghoul can work on her?"

Poison frowned. "Then I can kill Jet?"

Kobra rolled his eyes. "Then you can kill Jet."

Poison nodded and grimaced, following him to get in. He whined when he heard the noises his car was making, and petted her steering wheel. If there was one girl he loved in the Zones, it was his Trans. He headed out with a small frown. This wasn't gonna be good.

\---

Oasis woke up, making herself coffee. She had hardly slept a wink after yesterday. How could Ghoul just walk in like that? It was so embarrassing! She groaned at the thought and kept her head down, heading to get a mug for Jet. She blinked, seeing his body laid out on the floor, and nudged his side with the toe of her boot.

"Wake up!" she chimed to him. He just groaned in response. She kept tapping him until he flipped over, sleepy eyes on her. His face was covered in cuts and scratches. "What happened?!" She gasped, almost dropping the mugs.

Jet blinked and winced as he sat up; his entire body was sore. "I had an accident."  
Oasis rushed to get her Medikit. She was running low on supplies, but he needed help! She cleaned and bandaged up the small cuts with a frown. "You should be more careful, you could get sick or infected." 

He smirked up at her and took her hand. "Don't worry about an old coot like me," he teased. "I can handle a few scrapes."

She smiled at him softly. "I-I worry about everyone." She seemed calmer. "It's what I do." She sighed and finished.

He touched his face and looked down at his hands. "Do these all have hearts on them?" He was shocked at the colorful little bandage.

"Well, no," She smiled sheepishly. "The one on your nose has skulls."

He blinked and went to check. He couldn't help but laugh he looked like a child.  
Oasis smiled and hugged onto him from behind, nuzzling her face between his shoulder blades. She was happy here.

Ghoul knocked at Poison's door about an hour after he and Kobra left. It was time. Revenge opened the door sleepily. Clearly she had just woken up. She blinked and looked at him.  
"Uh, hey?" She yawned.

Ghoul nodded. "Can I come in?" 

She nodded and opened the door, watching him as he took a seat on the bed. "What do you want?" she finally asked weakly.

"Well, just to talk, seems like you're gonna be around a while." He smirked. "I thought we should be, you know, friends."

Revenge blinked and sat down. She hadn't had a friend in a long time. "Uh, sure."

"So, tell me about you." He arched a brow.

"Not much to tell." She shrugged and scratched at the back of her head. This was weird.

"Well, obviously you like Poison."

She flushed and chewed on her lip. "Y-yeah." Was it that obvious?

Ghoul smirked. "So you're his new flavor of the month?"

"W-what?" She blinked in shock.

"Well, come on, the guy's like a celebrity, he can get any girl he wants, and he gets a lot." He winked at her.

She swallowed and hugged her knees to her chest, feeling possessive. "W-what?" she managed out again.

"Well, he does this, takes someone in, says he's into 'em fucks em and leaves them." He shrugged. "It's just life out here."

Revenge frowned. She understood that way of life, but he seemed different with her. "I-I, I mean, I don't think I'm that."

Ghoul let out a bitter laugh. "Let me guess, he told you you're special, different, something else. Something that he's never seen out here before." 

Revenge blinked. It was like he were in the room with them last night; it was nearly word for word. "I-I--" Her head was spinning.

He put his hand on her shoulder, feigning empathy. "Do yourself a favor and just go."  
"I couldn't do that," she rasped out.

Ghoul shook his head. "Trust me, it's better if you call it off on your terms."

Revenge frowned. "I couldn't-- I'd have to say something to him," she managed out.

"And have him throw a fit? I bet he'd think you were doing the same thing and blast ya. Just get out, I'll cover for you." He was being a bit more forceful now.

She blinked and grabbed her things shakily. She had been conned. This was why she hated letting her guard down, even for a second. It just fucked you over in the long run.

Ghoul smirked as he watched her go. He did exactly what he had to, to protect this group and protect their mission. He whistled and walked around the motel, avoiding Jet and Oasis, whom he could hear moaning through the walls. He just enjoyed this time to himself.   
Finally, it was going to back to being men.

\---

Kobra and Poison came back a few hours after Revenge left. Poison's face was twisted into a scowl. He didn't know how much of the body damage they could repair. He grumpily headed in to find Ghoul.

"Jet fucked my car over. Fix it." 

Ghoul arched a brow and smirked. "Whatever you say, leader prissy pants."

Poison groaned and headed to check his room. This all ruined his excitement to tell Revenge she could move back with them to the diner. He frowned when she wasn't there. He checked the motel and started getting a bit frantic when he couldn't find her.

He ran back to Ghoul. "Hey, did you see her go?"

"Her who?" He arched a brow.

"Revenge!"

"Oh, she said she was going out a for a bit. But she had her stuff so I figured you two got in a fight."

Poison went pale, his face twisting. After last night, she'd just go like that? He clenched his hand into a fist and hissed out. He couldn't see straight. Yeah, Ghoul was right. Fuck attachment out here, it only caused problems. Silently he went outside and grabbed his gun. Ghoul paled, worried about what Poison was going to do. Poison snarled and drew his gun blasting the shit out of a nearby rock. He just needed to do something to get his anger out. Anything.

But Ghoul shrugged it off. For now it sucked, but he would get over it. Poison always did and he was relying on that. He nodded when Poison headed back to the motel and walked straight to Jet.

"Pack up, we're going home."

Jet frowned, looking up from Oasis who was wrapped tight in his arms. "What?'

"I said we're going home, gear up or stay," he snapped.

"What about Oasis?"

"What about her? She’s fine here!" 

Oasis' face fell as Jet let go. "All right." He sighed and went to pack up.

Tears formed in the girl's green eyes as she watched him go. She was shaking; she felt dirty and used. She wasn't expecting anything serious, but was that really all she got? She darted to the front desk and curled up in her blankets to cry, hugging her panda close like a teenager with a broken heart. She didn't know how to cope with this.

Poison glared as he threw his shit in the Trans, waiting for everyone else. He punched the dashboard and gripped the steering wheel, swearing up a storm. His stomach was clenched tight. He hated the way he felt right now.

Everyone piled in the Trans and drove off for the diner. The ride was tense and not at all what Ghoul was hoping for. He just wanted thing to go back to how they were before. When they were all brothers and not couples breaking off and detaching from their missions. Was that so wrong?

Poison pulled up to the diner for the second time that day, the Trans giving out a weak whine as they stopped. He headed inside with a heavy frown. The entire diner was a mess. It was clear Better Living had rooted through their things. He was glad he destroyed what he did before they left. Sighing, he put what few supplies they nicked away and went for his room. He moved his bed back and collapsed.

Ghoul sighed and looked at Kobra, who shot him a guilty look. But Ghoul shook his head, trying to shake it off. They did what they had to. They were going to fix this. They had to. If they didn't, all of the Zones would suffer.

Things had gone from bad to worse in record time. Poison was drinking heavily and doing little more than laying in the booths. All three of them had tried to snap him out of it. Kobra shot Ghoul a look. They had to tell him what was going on. If they didn't, he would end up wasting away. Ghoul frowned in response. He couldn't risk hurting his best friend, getting kicked out of the group, and losing his family. He felt sick. He never meant for things to end up this way. Exhaling, Ghoul shook his head. 

 

“Poison, ya gotta get up,” Ghoul said. Poison mumbled and swatted him away in response. 

Jet sighed and led the other two away. "I'll take today's run, you guys just snap him out of this shit." It came out a bit harsher than he intended. He shook his head and geared up, slamming his blaster. This was going to be a long day for all of them.

 

Ghoul and Kobra rushed to Poison and frowned. "Ya gotta get up," Ghoul said.

 

Poison groaned. "Don't wanna." 

 

"Well, ya have to!" Ghoul snapped.

 

Poison groaned again, hearing the faint sound of the door opening and closing. Ghoul sighed and headed to go see what Jet needed. He was met by a shock of purple. Ghoul's face fell. "Why are you back?"

 

"I just, I needed to see him," Revenge mumbled and walked toward Poison's room. Ghoul unwillingly stepped back. He wasn't thrilled, but if this would get Poison's ass up, well, he'd take it.

 

Revenge walked into the room and blinked, seeing Poison, who in turned looked shocked to see her. She tried to smile, but his face fell. He didn't want to see someone who would walk out like that.

 

"Just go," he snapped at her.

 

"Poison just liste--"

 

"NO! You left, I asked if you were in it or not and you still left!" Poison snarled.

 

"It's not like that, I mean..." She sighed and sat down.

 

"Don't, don't sit, don't stay, just go."

 

Revenge frowned. "Poison, just hear me out?"

 

"No," he mumbled and shifted to lie on his side.

 

"Please?" She was begging him at this point

 

"Why should I?" he grumbled bitterly and closed his eyes.

 

"Because you said you like me too, and it just..." She sighed. "You shouldn't drop me over one mistake?"

 

"What makes you think I'd want you back?" he muttered bitterly.

 

Her face twisted and she stood. "I-I...fine," she hissed at him, turning to walk out.

 

Poison shifted on the mattress and curled up slightly. Good riddance.

 

Walking out, Revenge ran face first into Ghoul and Kobra, who were making no attempt to hide their eavesdropping. They blinked and moved to let her walk out past them, out of their lives. They had no idea how to snap Poison out of this one. This was bad. 

\---

A few hours had passed and Ghoul ran a hand through his hair. His lips fixed into a frown. He knew that this was his fault, though he'd never admit it out loud. He snarled and shook his head, going to fiddle with some old engine sitting on the table. He winced when the metal pinched his skin. He was used to this by now, and had built up callouses since he first started. He sighed, knowing that a bit of blood would push up against his skin and make it hurt. It was all a mental thing.

 

Sighing again, he turned to Kobra. Kobra had dragged in an old sack filled with sand and made a makeshift punching bag. One, two, duck and evade. One, two, duck and evade. The same movements, the same sounds, along with the scraping of the unwilling rusty metal that made a sick lullaby as a soundtrack to the diner. 

 

Soon Ghoul could take no more and slammed his engine down. It broke, sending bits of it everywhere and scaring the shit out of Kobra. "Fuck!" Ghoul hissed in pain. He'd sliced the meaty part of his palm open. Now blood was dripping down his arm.

 

Kobra rushed over to clean his wound, silently wrapped it, and closed his eyes. What more was there left to say? He'd played his hand in this, too."I'm sorry," Ghoul finally whispered.

 

"What?" Kobra looked over, slightly shocked.

 

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, I mean."

 

Kobra walked over, putting his hand on Ghoul's shoulder. "Nothing to apologize for," he whispered. "I made my choices."

 

Ghoul looked at him softly and pulled the taller man into a hug. He was shaking. Kobra held him for a moment and closed his eyes. This hurt so badly. They were monsters; they ruined Poison.Ghoul pulled back, blinking away tears. "This isn't manly."  
Kobra chuckled. "No, it’s not, but sometimes it helps."

 

Ghoul nodded and coughed, smiling at him. "Thanks for your help, kid."

 

"Anytime, man. What are friends for, anyway?"

 

Ghoul nodded and ran a hand through his greasy locks. "This sucks."

 

Kobra nodded. "But what more can we do?"

 

"Kick his leader instincts in?"

 

"And how would we do that?"

 

Ghoul paused for a moment, thinking. "We run off and force him to find us?"

 

He frowned. "More lies?"

 

"Well, it might shock him."

 

"And if he doesn't come after us?" Kobra rubbed his arm and frowned, knowing it was a possibility.

 

"Then we give up trying."

 

Kobra smirked. "We can’t do that."

 

"Why the fuck not?" 

 

"Because we're the Fab Four." He snickered, knowing the stereotype.

 

That brought a smile to Ghoul's face. "I guess we are."

 

"And that means we can never quit." He winked at Ghoul.

 

Ghoul laughed harder and slapped Kobra on the back. He finally felt like himself again. Not the numbed-out version of himself. "You're insane." Ghoul smirked and headed to make them some coffee.

 

"Yeah, whatever you say, shrimp!" Kobra called after him and ducked when a metal bowl was chucked at his face. He snickered. "You missed!" In return, another bowl came flying at him and hit him in the crotch. Kobra hissed in pain, eyes crossing. "Y-you dick!" He doubled over in pain and laid on the ground. All he heard was a laugh from the kitchen.

 

A few minutes later, the coffee was done and Kobra could actually sit down, although he couldn't stand up right away. Ghoul sat with him on the floor and drank from his mug with a sigh. It had a flavor of what he imagined jet fuel to taste like lurking under the water. The two sat silently for the longest time.

 

"Do you think this will work?"

 

Ghoul looked up and swallowed before nodding. "I pray it does."

 

He frowned and stared down the hallway. "I don't know if we should push him thi--"

 

The door to the diner burst open. A vaguely familiar face was standing there and panting, blood leaking down his side and leg. "H-help," the dark haired boy rasped out and collapsed.

 

Kobra jumped up and hissed at the throbbing pain in his balls. He limped over to the kid. It was that kid who had helped them rob Better Living. "Ghoul, get me bandages!" 

 

Ghoul sprang into action, grabbing a cleanser and what bandages were left from his earlier wound. Kobra tugged the kid's jacket and shirt off to see what he was dealing with. He frowned at the bite patterns on this kid's skin.

 

"Coyotes," he muttered under his breath, cleaning the bite marks and wrapping them up. There was a lot of blood. The risk of infection was high. Or worse, the kid could get rabies.

 

The kid was shaking, laying back and staring up in pain. He blacked out a few times when his wounds were touched. He writhed in pain and occasionally cried out. Tears poured down his face. Bright Eyes was a mess.

 

Kobra frowned and sighed. Once he was sure he'd gotten the kid cleaned, he asked "What happened?"

 

"I was out in Zone Five, and these dogs came out of nowhere." He panted, wincing in pain. "Before I could grab my gun, one had my leg."

 

"Can you describe them for me?" 

 

"They were tan, I don't know, I think they were coyotes," he whispered. "They were really thin, too."

 

Kobra frowned, his mind racing. "Were any foaming at the mouth?"

 

Bright Eyes hissed again, "I don't remember."

 

Kobra looked to Ghoul with a heavy frown. "All right, kid, just lay here. Ghoul and I will be out back, yell if you need us." Bright Eyes nodded and Kobra and Ghoul headed outside, Ghoul lighting up right away.

 

"What's the damage?" he said, smoke escaping his lips.

 

"Well, coulda been an average animal attack." Kobra arched a brow. "They could have had rabies. There's no way to know right away." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

 

"Well, maybe they were just hungry?" Ghoul offered, hoping he was right.

 

"For his sake, I hope they were." Kobra closed his eyes.

 

"And if it was rabies?"

 

Kobra didn't answer for a moment, and instead stole one of Ghoul's cigarettes and his lighter. "Then we have to kill him." 

 

Ghoul frowned and took a long drag. He'd seen a few people infected when they first started running, and it got bad. "Nothing else we could do?"

 

"Drop him off at the city. They might just kill him anyway, or test on him." Kobra frowned a bit deeper and exhaled some smoke.

 

"Lose-lose situation then."

 

"Exactly, we gotta stick around until we have an answer."

 

Ghoul nodded weakly. It wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, but maybe seeing this kid could help? Ghoul snuffed out his cigarette with the toe of his boot. "I guess time is gonna tell."

\---

Two days had passed since Bright Eyes had come back. Poison was less than thrilled and went on a run to avoid being around him, but at least he was doing his job again. Something seemed to have changed with him. He was detached and more like an army sergeant than the leader of the Killjoys. He was demanding and firm, and no one responded well to it. Kobra had been working with Bright, trying to help him walk and move around again. It was rough on both of them. Kobra just wanted the kid to be okay. Ghoul had been trying to get used to being at home, but nothing was the same. It wasn't a band of brothers living together, fighting off the city. They were just some wavehead drama junkies floating around the Zones and making a show of it. He felt like he were on a reality TV show. Unlike Jet, who was running nonstop missions and trying to make an impact, instead of sitting at home and whining about wanting to.

Jet had taken Kobra's bike for this run. He was going to Zone Two and figured he'd stop by that diner and grab a bite to eat. Much to his dismay, Loli wasn't working today, so he shelled out money for a burger and headed on his way. Everyone at home was stressed out and he didn't know how to fix this shit anymore. He had been considering joining up with a new team. He sighed and mounted the bike again. He wasn't sure if he could do that to his family.

He drove, headed nowhere in particular. He wouldn't have to intercept the Better Living trade for a couple of hours. That gave him some time to himself, and that sounded like what he needed. He liked to see what people were doing out there, and how they got by. Sometimes it was refreshing, and he learned a new skill that he could pass on to his brothers. Other times it was hard to look at and he did his best to lend a hand. What kind of madness pushed these people out here? He couldn't ask, of course. That would be rude. But the question danced around his thoughts at times.

Sometimes he even helped people relocate or helped with small chores to make chump change. It wasn't a lot, but sometimes it was nice to feel independent of his group. Very rarely was he recognized. He wasn't as well known or sought after as Ghoul or Poison. Soon he pulled up to the hotel they had stayed at a few days ago. Frowning, he headed in. Maybe it was fate that brought him here. Or maybe he felt guilty for what happened to that Oasis chick.  
The hotel was an even bigger mess than when they left. Oasis was behind the desk, curled up with her knees to her chest. She felt like such a fuck-up. She wasn't good enough for Mr. Jet Star. And she hated herself for it. Jet crept behind the desk, swallowing when he saw her.

 

"Hey," he whispered.

 

She blinked and looked up, her striking green eyes set on him. "What are you doing back?"

 

"Listen, Oasis." He sighed. "I'm just here to apologize."

 

"Oh?" Her voice was weak and heartbroken.

 

"I never wanted to upset you." He shook his head. "Everything was just such a mess, I forgot to say goodbye."

 

Oasis frowned. She had finally met her idols and they were like a pack of wild animals. Not the cool grown men whom she had put on a pedestal. "Listen, Jet, I don't need pity. That ain't shiny."

 

Jet frowned. "I ain't trying to pity you, I'm honestly sorry."

 

Oasis exhaled and stood up, holding out her hand. Jet grasped it and shook it. She smiled. "I hope we can be friends."

 

"Well, actually, I'm on a run, and I was wondering if you'd like to join me?"

 

Her eyes light up in excitement. "Really? That's so shiny!"

 

He smiled. That was the girl he knew. "You in?

 

She nodded and tripped over her blankets with a laugh. "Let me just-- my gun." Jet nodded and helped her out, watching her run all over, grabbing her articles of clothing and getting dressed. She slid her gun into her holster and turned to face him, crossing her belts over her chest. "Tah-dah!" She beamed at him and headed outside.

 

Jet got on the bike and roared the engine to life. Oasis slid behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. Her heart fluttered. This was like a dream. A goofy smile appeared on her face and she held him close as they drove off. This was amazing.They headed to the rendezvous point and hid in the bushes. While they waited, Jet told her stories and gave her tips in hushed tones. Oasis was seeing stars. She couldn't believe this was happening in real life!

 

They finally heard the cars approach and stop. Jet grabbed his gun and headed to jump from their hiding spot when a third car sped up. The red-haired leader spun out and jumped from the Trans. He fired rapidly, carelessly. All of the Dracs were soon ghosted in the sands. Frowning, Poison headed to load up the Trans, while Jet watched in shock. Posion was being more reckless than usual. This was bad. 

 

"Do you want to come to the diner?" he whispered to Oasis.

 

Her eyes grew wide and she whispered "Uh-huh!" Making sure Poison was busy loading, he led her back to the bike and started it as silently as he could. Then he started rushing back to the diner. This was bad.

\---

 

Upon his return, Ghoul and Kobra both frowned. "Where's the loot?" Ghoul arched a brow, seeing Oasis.

"I was going to, but Poison showed up--"

"Poison?" Kobra interrupted.

 

"Yes, let me finish." He sighed and raised his hand, wanting to explain the entire story. When he finished, the diner was eerily silent. 

 

"I need to get him." Kobra stood, tugging his jacket on.

"I don't think that's the bes--"

 

"He's my brother!" Kobra snapped. "I have to be there for him!' Jet sighed and put his hands down, letting Kobra run past him and drive off. There was no stopping a stubborn brother.

\---  
Poison knocked on the window of the old VW bus, supplies in hand. He managed a smile at the purple-haired woman when she opened it. He handed over the food and water rations and kissed her forehead. "Just go to the hotel and wait for me, okay?"  
Revenge nodded and smiled. "I'll see you there soon." She slid into the front seat and started the bus, speeding off toward the nearby town. She swallowed thickly and relaxed. Poison watched her go and ran a hand through his hair before getting in the Trans and heading back to the diner. He was doing what he had to.

\---

As soon as he reached the diner, Poison unloaded the supplies without a word to anyone. They all watched him, wanting to say something, anything. But Kobra wasn't back, and no one felt like standing up to the disgruntled leader. "Where's my brother?" he finally asked.

 

"He went out," Ghoul said carefully.

 

"I'm going on a couple day run, he's in charge till I'm back."

 

"We know the drill."

 

Poison got back into his car and headed for the motel to meet Revenge. He wasn't stupid; he knew Ghoul had said something. He'd talked to Revenge on the radio and she confirmed it all. And it pissed him off. What bothered him the most was that his brother was in on this one. He felt betrayed. His eyes narrowed as he pulled up to the town and got out. 

 

He headed to the room where Revenge was waiting. He shrugged off his jacket and climbed on the bed with a smile. She grinned up at him and their lips met, once, twice, three times. He laid next to her and kicked his boots off, causing her to gag from the stench. He shoved her playfully and she shoved him back. Again they shared kisses, once, twice, three times. They talked sweetly, whispered sweet nothings, then the clothes started sliding off. Once, twice, three times...

\---

Revenge woke up with stars in her eyes. Her legs were tangled with Poison's and her head was on his shoulder. Everything was great today. She yawned and sat up, stretching out. Poison smirked up at her and kissed her skin. "Good morning," he cooed filthily.

 

She laughed and rolled off of him. "Good morning yourself."

 

"Sleep well?" he offered with a smirk.

 

"You know I did." She rolled her eyes and stood up to get dressed. Poison snickered, watching her. He tugged his own clothing off, meeting her at the foot of the bed to steal a kiss.

 

"I like spending time with you," he whispered, burying his face in her hair.

 

"Do you now?" She laughed and shoved him lightly. "Well, maybe I don't."

 

He snickered and kissed her again. "I take that as a compliment." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she shoved him away. This was the first time in a long time that Poison had felt so relaxed. So happy.

 

She smiled at him and he stroked her jawline, enjoying her skin. His thumb ran along the slight burn on her cheeks and the heart shape of her jaw. His eyes softened, watching her close her eyes at his touches. He pressed his lips to the tip of her nose, her forehead, and her lips. Holding her there for a moment, he aimlessly played with a lock of her hair.

 

"Mmm, what are you doing?" She sighed dreamily. 

 

"Enjoying you," he whispered and pressed another kiss to her brow. "I just miss your face." 

 

She snickered. "I don't miss yours."

 

He rolled his eyes. "Why's that?"

 

"Well, I found these posters...”

 

He groaned. "Now you see why I'm so famous, eh?"

 

She rolled her eyes. "Does Better Living realize you're a nerd?" She arched a brow.

 

He shushed her and kissed her again, muffling her words each time she tried to protest. He snickered and finally released her.  
Revenge laughed and shoved him. He rolled his eyes and shoved her back. Yeah, he was happy like this.

 

"Do you have to go?" Revenge asked with a sudden frown.

 

Poison blinked slightly, shocked at her mood change, as well as the question itself. "I got a few days to spend with ya, ‘cuz I don't know when I'll be able to for a while." She frowned and he cupped her face. "Hey, none of that, don't think about it."

 

"Okay." She sighed dismissively.

 

He shook his head and held her face there. "Don't, please. Just enjoy the time we have together okay?"

 

She nodded. "I'll do my best."

 

He broke out into a smile and gave her a quick kiss again. This was the life. "So what do you want to do today?" he offered.

 

"Can we, like, go out for a bit, then come back to bed?”

 

He chuckled and winked at her. "I think I can arrange that." He tugged his shirt on and ran a hand through his hair, trying to style it. He would give her the best few days that he could. Nothing would go wrong.

The days seemed to pass like moments for the two, their legs locked under the light sheet of the hotel bed. Poison stroked her side and whispering sweet nothings into her ear, gently kissing up and down the shell of her ear. This was a perfect moment. It had been so long since he could just let go. His hands trailed shapes and designs, cupping the outside of her thighs. “I have to go soon,” he whispered softly.

She blinked and sat up, her messy hair falling down her back. She looked at him and cupped his face, staring into his eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Revenge, I have to. This was fun, and I liked it,” he admitted weakly, “but I have to go back to my normal life, my family.” Her lips twisted in response and his brows met. “It’s my job, Revenge.”

She sat up and hugged her legs, the blanket folds covering her nude form. She shook her head and rested her chin on her knees. "But I need you here,” she protested.

This time Poison frowned. “I know, but hey, I’m going to be back?”

“Doesn’t matter, you should stay with me.” She pouted and tilted her head, her bangs falling over her face. He stood and began to get dressed, shaking her off. He couldn’t handle her being this selfish. “Come on, Poison, you aren’t gonna leave, right?”

“I said I was, Revenge,” he repeated and tugged his boots up, turning to her pouting form. He took her face and kissed her forehead. “I promised I’m going to be back soon.” He sighed and nuzzled her cheek. “Isn’t that enough?” He released her face and tugged his shirt on.

“No,” she mumbled and closed her eyes.

“Are you serious?” He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it slightly. “Don’t pull that shit.”

 

“Pull what shit?!”

 

“This ungrateful, pity me, bullshit. I know you better than this, you’ll be fine.” He crossed his arms, giving her a hard look. She stared at him, wide-eyed, and looked away. “Exactly, you’re going to be fine.” He sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her form. “I know it.”

 

She shrugged, then looked softly into his eyes. “You’ll come back?”

“Hell couldn’t stop me,” he promised and gently placed a kiss on her nose.

She smiled and pecked him back with a content noise. “Good.” 

 

He rolled his eyes with a smirk before putting his gun in his holster. He jutted his hip out as he tightened his belt. “I’ll see what I can do about finding you a better place to stay than here.” He scratched at his jawline, picking at a zit that was forming under his peach fuzz. “Someplace I can keep a better eye on ya.” He flicked the skin and rubbed at the small bead of blood forming. She nodded and smiled, draping her arms around his neck before giving him a deeper kiss.

“Don’t forget me?” She chuckled.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He stroked her hair before slipping into his jacket with a wink. He gave her a last soft look and gentle wave before walking out of the hotel room. He chuckled to himself as he got into the Trans Am. This was the life; shit was good. Pulling away from the hotel, Poison closed his eyes for a few moments letting out a sigh. His car was still a little more beat than he would have liked, but it was driveable. Suddenly he was flooded with thanks for what he had. What he’d gotten to experience. He smiled to himself, flipping his sunglasses down as he looked along the desert. This was more than he was looking for out here, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to go back to his life before.

By the time he reached the diner, all his stress and worries seemed far away. He was in a better place after this weekend, and he seemed to be a different person. He smiled to Jet when he strode in, a small can of coffee in hand, trying to make it look as if he did more than fuck all weekend. He even whistled to himself as he headed to make a fresh brew for them. His good mood attracted both Kobra and Ghoul as well. The three watched him, unsure if this was the actual Poison or if he had been replaced with a Better Living drone.

 

Finally Kobra decided he would approach. Moving next to his brother, he swallowed. “Hey man, how was the run?”  
Poison didn't just smile, but full-out grinned. “It was great, thanks for asking, man, how’ve you been?” He wrapped his arms around the younger man. Startled at first, Kobra carefully hugged him back, almost expecting to feel cold metal pressed against him. But he blinked and released when he found no so such thing.

“I’ve been good.” He paused. “We tried to get ahold of you, actually. Where were you?”

Poison shrugged. “Around, I was trying to keep it on the low.”  
“For…coffee?” Kobra blinked, trying to process this.

“Jeez, don’t be too excited, eh?” Poison laughed and noticed the other two members of his team and waved them over. “Come on, guys, it’s fresh.”

 

The two cautiously approached, trying to figure out Poison’s good mood. Either this was something amazing, or something horrible. Jet cleared his throat. “Well, it’s good to see ya alive.”

 

“Yeah,” Ghoul shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable. “So what’s with the good mood?” he blurted out, earning harsh looks from Kobra and Jet.

Poison blinked and shrugged. “Nothing, just pretty fucking relaxed.” He chuckled.

“Did you get laid or something?” Ghoul arched a brow and noticed Poison tense up for a moment before shrugging.

“Nothing like that.” He was trying to brush it off without prying in too deeply.

Kobra caught on right away and started laughing. “You so did! Who was it?”

Poison shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” But soon enough, both Ghoul and Kobra were pestering him for more information, their words becoming a blur in his mind as the coffee finished. He quickly poured himself more and smirked. “That’s for me to know,” Poison taunted as he walked away.

Kobra and Ghoul both exchanged looks for a moment before shaking their heads. This was going to end badly. Kobra's stomach sank, and he headed to check one of the cupboards for their booze stash. Sighing to himself, he took a sip of the unmarked bottle. It was strong to the point it had no real flavor. Just the feeling of alcohol burning his lips and mouth. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the counter, extending the bottle to Ghoul, who took it and swallowed down a bigger swig. 

“How bad is this gonna be?” Ghoul grumbled, taking another drink.

“Scale of one to ten?” Ghoul nodded. “A fifty.” Kobra groaned and took the bottle. This was a mess and he hated it. Too many bad memories and too much risk. Now he knew why his brother protested his own fling so much. It was just stupid out here.   
“Well, all we gotta do is keep him from doing something stupid, and hopefully he’ll grow out of it.”  
Kobra paused before reminding him “Well it’s not like he’s in love or anything.”

“Still, better to nip it in the bud, we don’t wanna risk it getting bigger than it already is.” Ghoul gave Kobra a knowing look. He’d been through this once, and he didn’t want to risk losing Poison to the same thing. Kobra looked away for a moment and nodded weakly.

Ghoul shook his head again before heading to his room, rattling through various cabinets as he passed. After he found his prize, a few old beer cans, he leaned back on the bed and took a large gulp. It felt like everyone around him had romance and bullshit, and he was sick of it. He never let his flings get in the way of his running. It was more like a fucking high school than a team of runners. Fuck them, fuck their bullshit, we didn’t need these skirts around anyway. After he finished his last few beers, Ghoul shifted to his side and sighed. Fuck love. Soon he closed his eyes and drifted into a booze-induced sleep.

 

\---

 

Jet was the first one to wake, sleepily dragging his feet through the diner. He blinked a few times and groped in the kitchen, trying to find coffee. He sniffed it before setting up a pot and slumping down on the counter to wait. His stomach growled, demanding some form of attention, and he shook his head. I gotta get my ass going. He grumbled something to himself. It wasn’t even real words, just disdain for the lack of food in here. He tore through the boxes of what food they had left. A half eaten jar of peanut butter, ten cans of pup, and two cans of coffee. It was enough to get through the week, but he knew he’d have to go hunting soon. Grabbing his gun and helmet, Jet headed outside, sleepily stumbling around to hunt for some real meat.

The easiest thing to catch out here were lizards. They usually scampered around, but were nowhere near fast enough to avoid being grabbed. However, they provided little meat and had the risk of disease. Coyotes provided more, but they were also more difficult to catch. He eyed a scorpion but shook off the idea; the risk was too high. Soon he eyes were set on a rattler. Within a moment his gun slid into his hand and he fired, blasting the bloody thing’s head off. He took slow steps to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, and smirked as he grabbed his prize. On the way back inside he got ahold of a few lizards. This was a feast beyond what he was hoping. He did his best to clean the meat and headed around back to start a fire. This would put the guys in a good mood.

While he was cooking, he could smell the coffee. He rushed in to grab a cup. The rest of his team, minus their red-headed leader, stumbled in, all three rushing to take their fill. He nodded to them, then headed outside with them to show the fruits of his labor.

“Well, look at this.” Ghoul smirked and plopped himself on a rock. “All for us?”

“Just eat.” Jet rolled his eyes and handed Ghoul a slightly burnt chunk of meat. Kobra sat next to Ghoul and took his own, then dug in. They’d been eating nothing but Pup lately; this was a godsend.

Jet leaned back and ate some of the snake meat, chewing slowly. It was actually good, considering the lack of preparation. Snake meat was some of the tastiest you could find out here. There wasn’t much conversation among the three. The air was filled with sounds of Ghoul smacking and slurping down coffee like he’d never see any again.

“So we’re running low on food again,” Jet announced after forcing down another bite.

Kobra looked up with a grimace while Ghoul kept smacking. “How long do we have?”

“'Bout a week,” Jet mumbled and closed his eyes. “So whose gonn--“

“Not it!” Ghoul managed out through his food, smiling at the other two.

“Well, that answers that,” Kobra mumbled and shook his head. “We can plan something out and head out tomorrow?” he offered. Jet nodded, then looked up when Poison came out with another smile. This was freaky as shit.  
“Morning guys.” He took a drink from his mug and sat down. “Meat, oh fuck yes.” He beamed and grabbed some, ignoring the confused and worried looks he was getting. Everyone else stayed silent and watched him for a few moments.

“We’re planning a food run,” Kobra started slowly. “You wanna come along?”

 

Poison nodded. “We talkin’ raid?”

 

“Probably.” Jet shrugged.

Ghoul smirked. “And I get to go on a run.” He chuckled darkly to himself, excited at the fortune of getting to dust some Drac ass.

Poison nodded, taking a slow and thoughtful bite. “I’m a little concerned about the lack of activity. Kobra, I think you should go with Ghoul.” Kobra frowned. How come he just comes in and chooses everything? But he didn’t protest aloud. Judging by the others' faces, they were asking the same question.

Jet sighed and ran a hand through his dried-out hair. “I actually think we should leave sooner than later.” Poison looked over and arched a brow. “Well, I think we’re better safe than sorry if we’re going after a Better Living supply stop.”

 

“Which means we need a better plan,” Poison growled.

Jet shook his head. “Or we need to do what they won’t expect.”

 

“They probably raised their security since our last run. Barging in and flailing like idiots won’t accomplish anything.”  
Jet frowned. “I’m trying to find a way to make this work.”

 

“Make what work?!” Poison snapped. "This is the same fuckin’ thing we’ve been doin’ all these years, what changed?!”

 

“Our leader acting like some drama drunk wavehead, that’s what!” Kobra and Ghoul flinched at Jet’s words. Shit was going to hit the fan in 3, 2, 1…

“Oh, get off your fucking high horse, Jet Star.” Poison stood and threw his food to the ground. “Fine, you don’t want a fuckin’ leader, I’m out. Come on, Kobra.”

Kobra lowered his head and said nothing for a few moments; he felt furious eyes on him. He shook his head weakly. “I gotta stay,” Kobra managed to whisper.

Poison’s face grew red. To an onlooker it seemed that he had heat stroke. “I’m your fucking brother!” he snarled.

“Yeah, well they’re my family too,” Kobra mumbled weakly. “I’ll be here when you get ba--“

 

“Well maybe I won’t fuckin’ come back!” He threw his hands up and stormed off to get his necessities. Fuck them!

Kobra shook his head. He knew better, of course. His brother would go camping for a day or two and come back with booze. It was the same shit with him. He could never stay mad, especially over something like this. No matter what, they were the Fabulous Four. And no matter what, Poison would be their leader.

Jet shook his head, looking from Poison’s departing form down to Kobra. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lose it like that.” He slumped back onto the rock he was resting on, putting his face in his hands. 

 

“If it wasn’t you it, would’ve been us.” Ghoul muttered softly and looked at his food. His appetite was far gone at this point. “I can’t say I really blame you when he brought it on himself.”

 

Swallowing, Kobra shook his head. “Can we just not talk about this until he’s back?”

Jet nodded and leaned further back. They sat there for a few hours, watching the fire crackle and sizzle and eventually go out. Jet threw a few rocks into the fire to be sure it was gone. Something about seeing the ashes fly away made him feel even sicker. What if this was the last time he saw Poison? What if this is all my fault?

 

\----

Of course, in the end, Kobra was right. A very drunk Poison stumbled back in less than a week later. He slurred apologies and said he would change, but they all knew the truth. Kobra shook his head, glancing down at his brother’s passed out form on the couch. As much as Poison hated to admit it, he made mistakes, and bad ones at that. He would try to act cocky to hide it, but that made it much more apparent. After watching his brother for a while, Kobra headed outside. He’d lost track of time making sure his brother didn’t kill himself. Lighting up a cigarette, he watched the stars. A musky cloud of pollution loomed over them. It was probably safer for him to be smoking than breathing the shit out here. 

Exhaling the smoke, Kobra shook his head and slumped down into the sand. All of the drama, all the fighting, it reminded him of her. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. Every day the memories seemed further away. The way her nose would crinkle when he tried to make a joke, how she’d shove him in the same place on his arm until it bruised and he’d cry out. The way her hair would shine in the passing sunlight in the mornings, or the look of ferocity she’d get when she was drawn into a fight. Each mark was like a tattoo on his body, a permanent scarring of the life he once had. Gripping the cloth of his jacket, Kobra closed his eyes tightly. He’d give anything to go back to those times, but he couldn’t live in the past. She was gone to God knows where, and if she wanted to find him again, she would have already. She probably moved on a long time ago. Tears rose up in his unwilling eyes and he tried to block them out. He had to be strong, now of all times, but no matter how hard he fought it, a few tears slid down his dirty cheeks. Grabbing his hair, Kobra curled up like a child, pushing his knees tight to his chest and letting out weak sobs.

Ghoul was heading outside to light up himself when he stumbled upon Kobra. Watching for a moment, unsure what to do, he finally decided to pat Kobra’s shoulder. “Come on, man, you’re fine.” He smiled weakly; Kobra just shook his head. “Maybe it was your hair, I mean come on, she was probably slapped by tho--"

 

The look on Kobra’s face was enough to shut Ghoul up. He smiled weakly and rubbed his back. Holding tight to his knees, Kobra let out a shaky breath. “Thanks.”

“No problemo.” Ghoul smiled back

“You’re a good friend,” he mumbled, then got to his feet, scrubbing at his face.

“Man, it’s the truth. I’m sure she’s fine, I bet she’s looking for ya right now”

“Or she moved on.” Kobra looked crushed, his tone blunt.

“Nah, there ain’t no fucker out here better than you. Well, except me.”

Kobra rolled his eyes. “Keep telling yourself that, short shit”

“I ain’t that short!” He winked and stuck his tongue out. There’s the Kobra I know.

Kobra smiled and chuckled. It was forced and weak, but it was something, right? He could hold himself together for this group. After all, this was his family. Ghoul nodded and hugged him. “Glad you’re okay.”

Kobra chuckled. “yeah something like that.”

The two sat outside and watched the horizon. When someone did speak, it was usually Ghoul, but it was okay and it was more than Ghoul could ask for.

 

\---

Jet was navigating the raid for today. He hoped it would be more simple than he was anticipating. Always plan for the worst, just in case. They were attacking an outpost closer to the city, hoping this would throw Better Living off their trails. However, there was the possibility that the cameras could catch them. Poison was adjusting his mask as they sped down the highway. Jet’s throat grew tighter. Something about this run was making him anxious, and he didn’t like it. The sands seemed to blur with the sky, a foggy haze all around them. The road was like a roller coaster.

The drive was fairly quiet, with no Ghoul to break up the long awkward silences between these two. They had once been as close as everyone else, but the two had grown apart as of late.

“So any news on the waves?” Jet mumbled, trying to connect.

“Everything seems shiny.” Poison shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Nothing? Not even a firefight?” Jet arched a brow. That seemed off.

“I said everything’s fine,” Poison snapped at him and pushed the gas a little harder.

“But I heard about that clap in Zo--“

“And it’s over and handled and everything’s shiny again!” Poison shot him a look.

“The fuck, Poison? Five kids died! How the fuck is that shiny?” Poison lost a little color and looked back to the road. “You didn’t even know about that fight, did you?” Jet snapped with a glare.  
Shaking his head, Poison grumbled “Shut up” and brushed him off, trying to ignore the obvious truth of that statement.

“It’s true isn’t it! You haven’t even been monitoring the waves, have you even been on any runs? Don’t you fuckin’ dare tell me to shut up!”

 

Poison was speeding as fast as he could, the car wobbling out of control. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ! If you’re so goddamn perfect, why don’t you go to Battery!” Jet moved to shove him-- but the moment of impact was so fast the two didn’t see it. Poison’s airbag deployed, but Jet’s didn’t, sending him flying through the windshield. Jet’s eyes blurred over and closed, the sun beating down on the smoldering scene of the crash. Poison saw the blood and the shattered glass. He extended his hand toward Jet before his eyelids fell closed and his hand went limp.


	8. Dark Gunner's Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A crash and a few missed steps lead the guys with one of the biggest problems they had to deal with. When one of their own makes a betrayal, and a dark plan comes to light. The fate of the Zones rests in the hands of the Fab Four, and they have no idea where to begin. Regret and fear start to take shape, when they have a limited amount of time to figure out Better Living's newest plan.

Upon arriving to the diner, Poison helped Kobra carry Jet’s unconscious form. He was still out like a light. Poison swallowed, thinking back to their fight. He couldn’t help but feel this was his fault. Ghoul’s head shot up when they came in, and he rushed to help get Jet into the nearest booth. Kobra and Ghoul flew around the diner, doing their best to examine and treat the wounds on Poison and Jet’s bodies. Various bruises and injection sites covered Jet, while most of Poison’s wounds were from electric shock therapy and beatings.

Once the two were treated, Ghoul fell back on his bum. “How the hell did you get them outta there?”

Kobra shrugged. “Dressed up like a Drac and got them out from the inside.” Ghoul arched a brow at this but shook it off.

“Glad you’re okay then,” he mumbled and ran his hands through his hair. This was one exhausting venture. Kobra nodded and went to clean a few more cuts on his brother’s arm, his eyes narrowing, and he fell silent. It seemed too easy, too set up for him. He had had this feeling since he got into the city, but it seemed stronger than ever. Ringing in his ears like an alarm blaring for attention. Something big was going to happen, and in his gut he knew it was all his fault.

Ghoul headed to the kitchen to raid booze again, then frowned upon seeing how low they were, It wasn’t a common find out here, and it would be a pain to find more. Shaking his head, he took a few steps back and looked around, the walls were cracking, he knew he should repair them sooner rather than later. It just seemed like their lives were caving in on them and no one could stop it. Trudging back out to look at Poison and Kobra, he felt his stomach clench a bit but put on his usual smug smile. 

“So, who wants to go on a booze run with me?”

Kobra glanced over his shoulder. “I have to keep an eye on Jet.”

Poison shook his head. “Nope.” He was too weak.

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Ghoul scoffed. “Oh fine, leave it all to me.” He snickered and went to gear up. He had enough to grab them some food, too. It could have been a helluva lot worse on his end. He nodded a goodbye to the brothers and took Kobra’s bike. They had recovered the Trans a week ago, but it was nowhere near fixed. After revving up the bike, he sped away, heading for one of the hidden markets.

Usually these were small, with maybe one or two people selling off whatever they could spare to make some extra carbons. Occasionally you got a good smuggler who had the booze and extra supplies. Today, however, was not that day. Ghoul paced back and forth, checking the few tables, and frowned. Nothing he was even close to being interested in. He rubbed the back of his neck with a groan. Well, this was a waste of time. He headed back to the motorcycle and drove a little further out. Maybe he could at least find a bar.

As he sped out to nowhere in particular, the stiffness in his muscles increased. He grimaced and tightened his thighs, doing his best to keep his eyes on the horizon and not on his gut. It felt like someone was stabbing him over and over. He pulled up against a rock formation and panted heavily. He couldn’t keep going like this. It was hell on earth for them right now. Was it ever going to end? Grabbing his side, he leaned against the rocks and shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, a hazy moon was hovering in the sky. He went pale and managed to get on the bike and start it up.

He leaned over the handlebars and had no real control over his steering. He wobbled wildly and nearly hit rocks and cactuses. He groaned at one point when the bike jumped up and hit him hard in the groin. Everything flashed white and he couldn’t breathe.

He didn’t know when he pulled back up to the diner, but he vaguely remembered stepping off the bike and lying on the ground. He was on his back, panting softly. The entire world swirled around him. He was unsure how long he laid there until he found the strength to drag himself to bed. His body felt like it were on fire.

The morning couldn’t come soon enough for the Fabulous Four. After the drama and damage caused by the week’s earlier events, any sign of things going back to normal was a relief. Poison had a few bandages on his face, and more on his arms. He had been injected with so much medication that he couldn’t help but worry. Scratching the side of his face, Poison made some coffee for his team. He felt like he was living in some sort of fucked-up dream. Things went from going well to falling apart, and there was little he could do to fix it. After swallowing the bitter coffee, he realized he had spilled water on himself. With a few strong swears, Poison cleaned it up and put it away. He was too detached to even handle making coffee. He felt like this was all an illusion and it made him question everything he stood for. He needed something, anything, to get him away from this feeling. He limped to the CB radio and tried to find the right channel. He had to put this out there if he had any hope for himself.

“Hey,” he rasped when her line picked up. He could hear her breathing, but there was no response. “Listen, I got taken in so don’t be pissed at me.”

“Taken in?” she asked weakly.

“Yeah, remember the whole Better Living thing?”

“Oh, them,” she whispered.

“Yeah, it was uh pretty shitty.” His voice was shaky. “Listen, can I swing by?”

She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. “I guess,” she mumbled.

“All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” His voice picked up a bit and he rushed to get his gun and keys. He scribbled a note for his brother, then forced a start from the wreck that was the Trans Am.

Kobra was less than thrilled finding the note. His face turned bright red and he shook his head. He had risked everything to get his brother out of that place, and he was already running off with some other dame! It left a bitter taste in his mouth. He headed to the CB to place a call to D. He needed a run to keep them busy.

“Hey, old man--”

“Brrrrzt” was the only reply, signifying a dead line. Kobra frowned and tried again.

“Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrzt.” Swallowing the sinking feeling in the pit of his gut, Kobra headed to a back-up CB. It was tricky to get to work, and it was usually moody when it did. As soon as Kobra hit the waves, his hair stood on end.

“Breaking news from Battery City: pirate radio stations are not to be tolerated. Anyone found breaking the laws of Battery City and associating with Killjoys are to be brought to Zone Two for questioning with Scarecrow officials. Thank you for your time and keep smiling.” 

The message paused before starting up again. Kobra’s heart thudded in his head. The station must’ve been taken. This couldn’t get much worse. Where were D and Pony?

He darted to Ghoul’s room, then frowned, seeing the state Ghoul was in. He was pale and sweaty and looked like he had a bad case of the flu. There was no one who could run out with him, or stay up to watch Jet.

Kobra stumbled back to the booths, then sank down and tugged at his hair. His mind raced from what had transpired. All he could do was hope and pray D and Pony would burst through those doors with a fresh plan and backup. After an hour of stillness, he began to rock, hot tears stinging his face.

\---

Ghoul woke up, his body stiff from last night’s events. It all seemed hazy to him. He checked his breath to see if he had been drinking. A foul odor, but no booze. Sitting up was another challenge; his joints protested every movement. With a string of swears, he got to his feet and headed out to check on everyone.

Of course, Poison was already missing. He held back a scoff, not wanting to upset Kobra. But an eye roll manifested itself anyway. He was tired of the bullshit drama. He limped over to Jet’s passed-out form and looked him over. His inner elbows were so eaten up by injections that it made Ghoul sick. They must’ve been through hell in that place. He washed up Jet’s wounds, praying that he would open his eyes, but there was no such luck.

Heading over to Kobra, Ghoul frowned. “So what’s going wrong now?” he tried to joke. Kobra’s grim look said it all. “Shit, what happened?” Ghoul’s face grew serious.

“I can’t get ahold of D,” Kobra mumbled.

“So?”

“So the station was taken over by Better Living.” Ghoul paled. “And I’m worried it’ll be harder to find them this time.” Kobra shook his head and muttered under his breath.

“It’ll work out, man, it always does.” Ghoul tried to smile.

“Will it? I wonder if this is coming to an end. I want to beat these fuckers down as bad as you guys, but do you ever think of giving it up?”

“Never,” Ghoul said without missing a beat. “This is our life, these Zones are our home.”

“And you’d never wanna have a home where we don’t have to worry about attacks or running out of food?”

Ghoul gave him a hard look. “I’d never want to stop fighting for what’s right. If it means I gotta be in hell to show that truth, then hell yeah, I’ll stay right here.” He felt betrayed.

“Ghoul, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yeah you did. Listen, I know you seem to want that white picket fence life with whathersface but it won’t happen. It never will, any of it.”

Kobra frowned. “That’s not what I want.”

“Good because even if we gave ourselves up they would just shoot us point blank. Don’t forget, we made this choice and now we can’t turn back. We have to keep running.”

Kobra looked down. “I can see that,” he admitted. But sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder…

Sick of the idealistic bullshit talk, Ghoul limped to the kitchen to grab a bite. His stomach was upset over the talk, and he couldn’t even handle the smell of Power Pup without gagging. He shoveled it in anyway. No point in wasting food over Kobra’s dumb ass. Leaning back on the counter, Ghoul sighed. He needed to get better faster so he could get out of this joint and go on a run. Dusting a few Dracs would fix him right up. He rubbed his shoulder and neck with a wince, his mind far away.

Despite the pain, Ghoul wandered off on his own. Sometimes that helped as much as a fight. He hoped to come upon a raid just to get his rocks off. Or even a beat up machine. That would fix his problems, too. A task and a goal, anything but sitting around being useless. He kicked a small rock as the sun pressed on his cheek, then ran a hand through his messy hair. There was no barrier between him and the desert today. As dangerous as it was, he felt alive. After all, the desert was where he found peace. As perfect as Battery City liked to think it was, it was nothing compared to a day out in the Zones. Hot breeze in your face and the silence of the waves all around you. He sighed and scratched at his scruffy chin. He planned on battling with a ham radio when he got back from this walk, trying to get in touch with D and Pony. Maybe he could hunt them down that way. But something about returning to the diner was unappealing. The drama was too much for him. 

He kicked at the rock again and frowned when it didn’t budge. He knelt down to see what stopped the object and unearthed a helmet. Losing color, he grabbed it and turned tail, busting ass to get back to the diner.

By the time Ghoul hustled back to the diner, he saw an unwelcome guest and froze. He was panting, the helmet shaking in his hands. “What the fuck is going on?” he snapped.

Poison had his arm draped around Revenge. Her face was dishelved and swollen. “She’s staying with us for a bit, okay?” Poison grunted

“No, fuck no, that isn’t happening,” Ghoul growled. “I found Dark Gunner’s helmet. Didn’t he get taken in by Better Living a few years ago?” Knowing Poison, the argument wasn’t over, but hopefully this would shake him up.

Sure enough, the object brought despair to Poison’s face. He walked over to look it over. “Do you think he got out?”

“Well, I sure as hell don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.”

“Well, shit.” Poison tugged at his hair and put the object on a table. They’d have to find out if he was free.

Kobra walked into the room with a heavy frown on his face. He was already dealing with Jet, and now they had to have another situation? “The fuck is going on?”

“We found Dark Gunner’s helmet.”

Ghoul scoffed. “Yeah, ‘we.’ No, I did.”

“Grow up, Ghoul,” Poison snapped at him.

“Anyway, it wasn’t even two miles away. I was wondering if you heard anything from him?”

Kobra frowned. “He was in Better Living lockdown. I unlocked his cell, remember?”

“You didn’t tell me you set him free!”

“There were a lot of former runners, all right?”

Ghoul shook his head. “I wonder why we haven’t heard from them.”

“You think one of them would have gotten to a radio,” Poison said.

A faint bang came from the diner’s entrance. Kobra turned, a hand on his gun, then paled at the sight. An exhausted and bloody Show Pony was dragging a bruised Dr. D inside. Kobra rushed over to help them out, his hands shaking.

“What happened?” His voice was calm, logic taking over his mind.

“We got jumped,” Pony squeaked out and helped get the unconscious D into a booth. “Badly.”

“Exterminators?” Poison piped up

Pony shook his head. “Call me nuts, but I swear it was Dusted Gleam.”

Kobra froze. “What happened?” he repeated, a little colder this time.

“They got into the station. There had to have been ten men.” Pony took the water Ghoul was offering. “We managed to get away but they did more damage than I thought.” He winced and ran his hand over his burnt arm. “I panicked and tried to get here as soon as I could.”

“Are you sure Gleam was there?” Kobra mumbled something under his breath and shook his head. He felt all the eyes on him. ”I set him free from Better Living too.” The air grew heavy around them. Their hearts pounded in their ears.

“What does that mean?” Revenge spoke up.

“It means we aren’t safe here.” Poison shook his head and tightened his grip on her. “We aren’t safe anywhere.”

The words rang like a decree. Kobra looked at the ground and Ghoul rubbed his shoulder. 

“Well we can’t just sit around here,” Ghoul mumbled, then headed to the radio and tried to find the right channel.

“Hello?” a soft voice answered.

“Oasis-girlie, how ya been?”

Her face fell and she was silent for a moment. “What do you want?”

“Well, we’re in a tough spot, do ya mind if we come crash at the inn for a bit?”

She swallowed. “I guess, if ya have to, it’d be shiny.” But her voice betrayed her thoughts.

“Thanks, we’ll be up as soon as possible.” He disconnected the mic and grabbed his things. Everyone stared at him. “Well, get moving!” They comically jumped into action.

Poison hovered around Revenge as they grabbed her packed things and his clothing. Kobra hovered around D and Jet while folding his own items neatly, making sure to pack for Jet. Pony watched the group run around and smiled at Ghoul. “Thanks for this, shortie.”

Ghoul scoffed. “It’s my job, isn’t it?” He paused before returning the smile, then threw his stuff in the now-functioning Trans’s backseat. He ran back to help Pony limp into the car; he knew he couldn’t lift D on his own. The brothers lifted Jet into the car. Once everyone was loaded up, the car purred to life with Ghoul at the wheel. He sped for the old broken-down hotel. They could hide out there until they planned their next move. Ghoul’s driving was much wilder than Poison’s, with a lot of jerking motions and swerving, as if he were high and drunk at the same time.

The drive seemed to take longer than normal. Whether it was the severity of the situation, the unbearable heat, or the fact that everyone was on their last nerve, it seemed to be a hell not one of the passengers could escape. Ghoul pulled up around the backside of the hotel and hopped out, helping Pony out first. Everyone fell out after him. It was disorganized and crazy, but Ghoul liked that better than being militant.

One by one, the group filed in, with the exception of D and Jet. Poison and Kobra carried them in again, putting them each in the closest rooms. Oasis walked up and gasped when she saw Jet. “What happened?”

Poison weakly ran a hand through his hair. “We got taken in, and Kobra got us out.” Something in his voice was distant and hollow; he didn’t sound like himself anymore.

Oasis was pale. She tucked a curl of hair from Jet’s face, her hand shaking badly. “Oh shit,” she whispered, then used a bit of rainwater to clean some of the dirt and dried blood from his face. What did she get herself in the middle of? She turned to the brothers and swallowed. “What happened?”

Kobra swallowed thickly, then sat on an old desk and looked at his hands. At first it seemed that he couldn’t speak, but when he started recapping everything the story flowed out. He wasn’t sure how things had gotten to this point, but he wanted to remedy them, and figure out what the hell was wrong with these runner’s heads.

The group listened to the full story again, going over any detail they may have overlooked, any possible reason that the runners would snap like this. Ghoul was the first to speak. “What if they were reprogrammed?” All attention snapped to him. He shifted his weight cautiously. “If Better Living got them on pills…”

“And fed them the bullshit, they’d have an army,” Poison finished and swore under his breath. The weight of the air in the room intensified as everyone tried to process this new theory. 

“We need to investigate. Poison?” Kobra turned toward him and Poison nodded. The brothers silently headed out the door. This was going to be one hell of a headache.

The brothers shared concerned looks as they got into the Trans Am. There wasn’t much to say. If their fears were correct, they could end up cornered; and if they were wrong, they might find out that some good runners were dead. Poison started the car up. At least the base would be safe with Ghoul there, and with any luck, Jet would wake up.

Ghoul looked at the two girls. He didn’t want them thinking this was for good, but maybe he could use them to his advantage. “So, you guys worried about this?” He arched a brow in their direction.

Oasis frowned. “How can I not be?” she whispered. “I mean, I ain’t gonna lose it or nothing, but this is my home. I gotta stay on alert.”

“Good attitude to have out here.” A smirk tugged at his lips, and his eyes darkened, then shot to Revenge. “And you?” he said, bitterness coating his voice.

Revenge frowned and ran her hand through her hair. She didn’t understand what was happening. “I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “I just wanna see things settle down.”

“Well, they won’t,” he snapped at her, his eyes narrowing. “After all, this is the life around us. Never knowing what will happen next, living or dying, sleeping wherever we can risk, going days without eating. Are you sure you’re up for it?”

She met his eyes. “I have to be.”

Ghoul wasn’t backing down. “Hate to break it to you, princess, but this is far from the fairytale Poison’s been telling you.” He spat the words at her. “The harsh reality is that it’s hell out here.”

She shrugged. “Could be worse.”

Shaking his head, Ghoul let out a bitter chuckle. “I didn’t even get close to what happens out here. If I did, you’d run away crying.”

“Guys--“ Oasis tried to interject.

“One second, kid,” Ghoul snapped. “You can’t just come out here and expect to know everything, to have it handed to you.” He jabbed his finger at Revenge. “You don’t belong here, hell, you don’t belong anywhere near the Zones, why don’t you do yourself a favor and--”

Ghoul fell to the ground as a painful blast struck his back. He let out a weak noise as dizziness set in. He smelled the burnt fabric, the familiar sizzle: he’d been shot. Letting out a weak groan, he struggled to find breath. His blurry vision cleared to reveal a tall form hovering over him…

The car let out angry noises, protesting the force on the gas pedal. The Trans was probably on its last wheels. It let out a few small sputters. Kobra swore softly, looking for anything nearby. Luckily for them, there was the outline of a small town not too far off. The car gave one last whine before halting. Exchanging another look, the two jumped out of the car and started to push. The heat was more bearable at dusk, but it was still hard work. The toughest part was keeping their masks on as they pushed the vehicle. The town could be dominated by Better Living, and that was their worst nightmare. The air was thick from the smoking car, making it hard to breathe. Kobra searched for anything that resembled a garage. Unable to find such a place, he shook his head. They were stuck here until they could get ahold of D.

“We’ll be fine,” Poison mumbled. They pushed their car behind a rickety building, hoping it would shield them from any onlookers. It was a nice thought, but not a hopeful one.

Kobra nodded and got into the back with his brother. Neither would sleep that night, as they had to be on guard.

Light peeked over the horizon, hitting their sleepy eyes. Kobra was the first to step out. He needed to look around, find a radio, and get them moving.

“I’ll go,” he mumbled, his voice thick from exhaustion. He scrubbed weakly at his eyes before tugging his helmet down. He slipped away from the Trans Am to have a look around. It seemed to be a small gathering of neutrals. Letting out a sigh of relief, Kobra headed over. He blinked when he saw a familiar face. Flipping his helmet open to get a better look, his jaw dropped and he approached the slender man. “Hey, kid?”

Whiskers jumped and turned to face the voice. “Oh hey!” He smiled. “Thought I’d never see you again.”

“You’re actually just who I need right now.” Kobra chuckled. “My car broke down.”

Whiskers’ lips twisted. “Well, I mean, I could take a look?” he offered. “Let me grab some tools.” He ran inside a small shack and came back with a toolbox in hand. Kobra led him back to the car. Poison was hovering over the popped hood of the car, swearing.

“Hey, look who I found.” Kobra managed a small smile and motioned to Whiskers. “He’s a mechanic.”

Poison looked up with an arched brow and nodded. “Good to have ya, then.”

Whiskers tinkered and tweaked everything, trying to get the old car running again. The sun was directly above them by the time he stopped, covered in thick grease. He wiped his face with a rag and panted. “That should do it.” He smiled and slammed the hood down.

Poison got in and started the car up. The engine roared to life. “Fuck yeah.”

Kobra scratched his head. “So, we can’t really pay you--“

Whiskers paused and twisted his lips in thought. “Let’s call it an IOU, then?”

“That’ll work.” Kobra nodded and patted Whiskers on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

Whiskers nodded and stepped back, watching the two drive off. He weakly kicked at the sand. He was too damn nice for his own good. Running a hand through his sandy hair, he headed back to his mediocre home. He couldn’t find a garage to work out of and he had isolated himself. Maybe that was why he was desperate to help out…

Poison sped back toward the old hotel. The thick air of the Trans was unsettling. The situation was bad enough; they couldn’t risk running into a firefight in this state. His hazel eyes darted around the horizon, seeking anyone that could be friend or foe, praying for the first. Luckily, no one was in sight. But something still hung over his head, a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. He tried to put all the pieces together in his mind, playing his mental game. Each part of the problem a piece, and he moved and shifted them until it was solved and gave him the answer to the riddle. But it felt like something was missing from his puzzle. Some information, some small piece that he couldn’t grasp.

Poison leaned back and nudged his brother’s shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be okay.”

Kobra managed a forced smile. He knew his brother was trying, but the dread clenched in his stomach. He felt lost, and he knew that everyone shared that feeling. Every minute they hadn’t figured this out added weight to his chest, and until they were safe that pain would never disappear. It seemed like they were caught in a never ending mess, and they would lose the battle. Doing his best to shake off the dark thoughts crossing his mind, Kobra’s face fell into a grimace. He didn’t know how to fix this, to make it better for them. It was his job, he was their doctor. If he couldn’t even ease his own fears, how could he be expected to heal the others?

Poison rested his hand on Kobra’s shoulder for a moment and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He wanted to be there for his sibling, show that he could take care of him like when they were kids, but the act felt empty. Not intentionally, but because he felt useless. He turned back to the road and let his hand drop. Maybe he was making this worse. The desert was so eerily quiet it was almost comforting. It was easy to get lost in the quiet roar of the engine, and the passing of the sands and stars. The desert was an entirely new place at night. Every movement wrapped Poison in an odd security blanket. This was where he belonged, and he knew it. But something about that blanket warned him that despite the calm appearance, there was danger lurking around every corner for him, for his team.

By the time they pulled up to the hotel, their feelings of dread were washed away. There was Oasis’ Cuda waiting for them, the dim glow of lights inside; everything was fine and everyone was okay. Letting out a sigh of relief, the brothers headed inside, only to come face to face with their worst fears.

Ghoul’s body was facedown, blood leaking from his face. Revenge and Oasis were motionless nearby, their eyes wide with terror. Poison’s gun was out in an instant. He slipped around the corner and slunk down the hallway.

Kobra rushed to Ghoul and gently flipped him over. He had a pulse, and a broken nose. Kobra exhaled a sigh of relief and checked the girls. They’d all been stunned at close range, and they’d be stiff as a board for a while. He cleaned Ghoul’s face and lay them all down behind the front desk. Then his own gun slid out. Keeping low to the ground, he listened for creaks and the sounds of approaching footsteps. All he heard was his own heart pounding in his throat. He swallowed thickly, but even that was a challenge. There was someone here who wanted to bring them in alive. Something about that terrified him even more.

The creaking along the floorboards was slow, calculated. The attacker clearly knew the floor plan of this motel and wasn’t afraid to use it to his advantage. Poison looked around each corner two, three times before sneaking out. It was like a game of cat and mouse. The cat knew where he was, and he was just being toyed with. The idea that someone could treat another living being like this made him sick. He was just this fucker’s entertainment, and there was nothing more gratifying for him than taking Party Poison’s life. A long creak ran along the hallway and Poison jolted, turning around to face a loaded gun. His heart pounded wildly until he saw the face of his assailant. His heart dropped.

“J-Jet?” Poison wheezed out, staring at the man he had considered his brother for so long.

“That’s not my name,” came a calm and cool voice. It sounded nothing like that laid-back teammate he cared about. This man was a monster, one created by Better Living.

“Please, just put down the gun…” Poison begged, his stomach reeling

“My orders are to being you and your terrorists in alive.”

“Orders?” Poison rasped out. His voice seemed far away, like he was watching this conversation from another room.

“Yes, my commander demands your return to the city.” Jet’s voice was cold. “Now you can come along nice and easy, or we can do it after I stun you. It’s your choice.” He cocked the ray gun and pointed it between Poison’s eyes.

His eyes grew wide. He tried to sputter anything out that would snap his friend out of it. When he felt the barrel of the gun push against his skin he knew this was no joke. There was no way to smooth talk his way out of this. He would die no matter what. “J-Jet, I--“

Jet’s form fell to the ground. Kobra stood behind him, pale and looking as if he were close to vomiting. His hands shook as he looked down at Jet’s smoking form.

Poison stared up at Kobra in shock, then threw his arms around his brother. He shook so badly he thought his legs would give out. Thick tears poured down his reddened cheeks and he sobbed onto his younger brother. Poison didn’t even like himself. feeling Kobra shook under him, sobbing wildly. What else could they do? It was him or them. Now they had to get him help, they wouldn’t leave their own brother out here to die. Luckily, Kobra had only stunned Jet. Kobra shook his head, then knelt down to their fallen comrade and lifted him up. He carried him to the room he was staying in and restrained his limbs.

The action made him feel sick. Looking down at Jet made him want to cry and vomit. Swallowing down the cry that threatened to leave his throat, he gave Jet a sad look before rejoining his brother.

“They’re just stunned,” Kobra whispered and motioned to the three fallen bodies. “I think he was going to take them back.” He shook his head for a moment before pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “What are we going to do, Poison?”

“If he’s a threat--“

“He’s Jet! We can’t leave him.”

“We have to think about what’s safest for everyone, not just us.”

“He’s restrained, we will literally be leaving him to die.”

“Well, we can’t let him go back to Better Living!” Poison hissed.

Kobra grew quiet. “Fine, you take them. Get them out and I’ll stay.”

“I’m not leaving you, out of the question.”

“We don’t have any choice,” Kobra snapped, his dark eyes set on his brother’s. “I’ll help you get them in the Trans. Find some place to rest up. I’ll get Jet on detox and try to get his head on straight.”

Poison frowned. He didn’t like the plan at all, it was too risky. But Kobra was right: short of himself staying back, there was nothing that could be done. He nodded and frowned. “Promise me you’ll be safe, then.”

“As much as I can.” Kobra smirked and ran a hand through his locks. “You know me.”

Poison nodded and took his brother’s hand, tugging him into another hug. “Get Jet back,” he mumbled before piling the bodies into his car, taking care with the girls. He had to find a base, and fast.

Poison drove more wildly than he had before. The car spun out and he lost control for seconds at a time. But every moment counted. There was a ghost among them, and if he couldn’t hold up his end, they’d all end up dead. At the very least, he had to protect his brother.

After pulling up to the town they’d just returned from, Poison collapsed against the steering wheel. It was the only place far away enough to be safe. After allowing himself to lay there for a moment, Poison got up. He was unsure what life would throw at them next, and whatever it was, he was terrified of it.

The only place they could stay at was an old, run down building. The room they rented was small and had a weird odor. Shattered mirrors hung from the ceiling, covered in cobwebs and dust. Somehow the clutter made Poison feel safer, more at home.

Sighing, he laid the girls on one bed and shared his with Ghoul. The stun would wear off in twenty four hours or so. By the time he woke up, they would be moving. He shook his head, stretched out, and closed his eyes. His headache would best be dealt with when he awoke.

He was woken by loud grumbles and fart noises from Ghoul. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked at the others. Oasis was waking and Revenge was still passed out. He shook his head.

“What happened?” Ghoul grunted.

“Jet stunned you, seems Better Living got in his head,” Poison said, “Kobra’s lookin’ after him, so we need to lay low.”

“This is gonna be a long one.”

“You got that right,” he whispered and ran his hands over her face. Then he got up and helped Oasis stand. She looked shaken and fragile as Poison tried to explain the situation to her.

“But wait, what?” she stammered out. “This aint shiny.” Panic flashed across her face. “He’s got to be okay.” She was almost begging.

“He will be” Poison said. She was just a kid. “Kobra’ll fix him up and get him back to his harebrained self before ya know it.”

Blush crept across her cheeks and Oasis nodded. ‘If yer sure.” Her cheeks glowed as she picked at her jacket. She was anxious over feeling this way about someone who clearly didn’t need her.

Revenge stirred. Poison swallowed and knelt down. “Revenge?” he cooed.

One of her eyes slowly opened, still heavy lidded. “Poison?” she managed out.

“You okay? You got shot.”

“Shot?” she whispered, not registering what he was saying. “For what?”

“It’s a long story.” Poison weakly took her hand. “But I’m here now, and that’s all that matters.”

“Oh, did you do that thing?” she mumbled and rubbed her eyes.

“Sort of. We got the car fixed and we’re a few towns over.” His hands drifted up her arms and he stroked her upper arm before pulling her into a tight hug.

“Oh,” she replied lamely and tugged him close again. She felt like she were in some sort of twisted dream, unreal like a lingering high. But he was real, he was good. Something about this embrace brought her back to earth.

“Why are you shaking?” he whispered into her ear, pulling back when he heard her wheeze. Fresh tears filled her eyes and she looked pale, like she were going to vomit. He frowned and rubbed her back, trying to calm her the best he could. He didn’t need her going into a panic.

She did her best to hide her noises from everyone else, focusing on the feel of Poison’s hand. It was like when he had told about Better Living. Everything had felt shattered, and then there was him, this wonderful guy who was there to protect from the trash of the world. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, feeling his grip tighten on her in return. “Thank you,” she whispered softly as he pressed his lips along her hairline. “Thank you so much.”

Poison smiled and slowly ran his hands down her back, just feeling her. It made everything seem concrete. “It’s fine,” he whispered to her softly and pulled back to cup her face, placing a quick kiss on her nose.

Ghoul watched them with a slight grimace. More bullshit couple stuff. He sighed and shook his head, then turned to the other girl. She looked like a lamb in a lion’s den. 

“Hey kid,” he grunted. “C’mere.”

She walked over cautiously. “What’s the haps?”

“Eh, you did good, you know taking us in and all that. Thanks.”

She broke out into a smile. “Sure thing, runnin’ man. Anything for you four.”

“Heh, you’re a good kid, know that?” He stroked his chin. “How ‘bout I buy you a beer?”

Her jaw dropped. “R-really? I mean, yeah, sure!” Smiling, she grabbed her jacket and followed Ghoul out. He walked around the town until he found a hole-in-the-wall bar with a hanging sign. The two went inside to take a seat. Ghoul covered the carbons and took a long drink when the beers came.

“Perfect.” It was lukewarm and slightly musty, but it was a beer, the one thing that Ghoul loved.

Oasis smiled, taking a sip of her own. She choked slightly, having not drank in a while. But still, it was something. “Thanks,” she choked out when he handed her his handkerchief.

“No prob,” Ghoul said and spun on the bar stool. He eyed a dart board. “Whatcha wanna bet I could kick your ass?”

She blinked, following his eyes. “Oh, you probably could.” Her cheeks burned bright red. “I’m a horrid shot.”

“Eh, who cares. Let’s play a round or two for fun?”

Oasis followed him over and watched him throw with ease. He had a talent for aiming, there was no doubt. Ghoul easily won the first round, though they came close to a tie on the second. A few more beers and the score became wild. Oasis was hardly able to hold herself up while Ghoul sat on a table, laughing.

“You’re funny, kid,” he slurred and took another drink. He had lost count of how many he’d had, but who cared. You only lived once, might as well enjoy it.

“Am not!” she whined as she fell to the ground and looked up at him, pouting like a child. Ghoul burst out in laughter, wiping the tears from his eyes with his dirt stained handkerchief. 

“Priceless,” he snickered as he pulled back and watched her try to stumble to her feet. This was the best form of entertainment he could get anymore, and it was worth the carbons.

“Oh, f-fuck you shortie,” she said. She managed to get up, only to fall on a table.

Again he snickered before helping her up. He lead her out to stumble in the streets. The two laughed as they tripped over their own feet. It wasn’t often they got to let loose like this, so when they did, they wanted to enjoy it. Upon returning, the two fell inside the hotel room, giggling. But the look on Poison’s face shut them both up and snapped Ghoul out of his drunken state.

“W-whats going on,” he slurred, voice thick.

“I haven’t heard from Kobra yet, not that it seems to matter. After all, you seem content to go out with her and get drunk.”

“Hey, don’t put this on me. I was going insane watching your kissy-kissy goo shit and I needed to get away.” They glared at each other until Poison looked away.

“Whatever, man. Just give me a bit more warning before you bail like that.”

“Can do, boss man.” Ghoul half saluted and fell on a bed with a happy sigh. “So what’s the plan from here?”

“I don’t have one,” he said bitterly. “Going along with word of mouth, I guess.” 

“Gotcha, so we’re half-assing it?”

“Don’t call it that. We’re just taking it safe.”

He shrugged. “Same thing.”

“It’s not,” Poison hissed and sat down on the other bed, facing away. His stomach clenched with worry. He didn’t know anything yet and he wouldn’t make any stupid moves until he felt it was safe.

“Fine, fine.” Ghoul sat Oasis down with him. The poor girl had stood there the entire time. As soon as she hit the bed, she passed out. Ghoul snickered. The girl couldn’t hold her booze. Laying back, he crossed his arms behind his head. He could get used to some time off even if Poison was in a tizzy.

When the sun crept up and hit his face, Ghoul groaned. He didn’t want to get up yet; he had a hangover that could kill an elephant. His eyes fell on Poison’s pale, sleepy face. “You stay up all night?” Ghoul said as he sat up.

Poison raised a hand to wave Ghoul off. “Something like that,” he mumbled, adjusting himself in the old chair he was sitting in.

“You should get some rest, you’ll need it for when the guys are back.”

He smiled weakly and nodded, dark circles under his eyes. “Yeah, as soon as they’re back we’ll have to break up a few raids.”

“That’s the spirit.” Ghoul tugged his vest off, flexing and stretching his arms. His shirt and hair reeked of booze, but it reminded him of the good old days, before women and politics and drama. Back when a runner was a runner and not some wave head sitting out their last days in the Zones.

Poison grumbled a few tired words before slumping down in Revenge’s bed. His arms snaked around her and he closed his eyes. At least it was a start, right?

Ghoul rolled his eyes. Everyone else was out and left him all alone! How dare they! He headed over to the CB to check out D’s broadcast and see if that fucker had any news. After all, if anyone embodied the Killjoy life it was Doctor D. D’s gravelly voice came through the speakers, his usual going on about attacks and rebellion. Ghoul laughed. If only everyone knew these heroes he went on about were just sitting around and sleeping. He started to shake his head, but froze when a new voice came on. Kobra?

“If you see an ally you know went missing for any amount of time, do not approach them, they could be under Better Living control. I repeat, anyone who went messing, do not approach them. Better Living has been rereleasing brainwashed prisoners into the Zones. They are dangerous and will attack.”

“There you have it kiddies, these white sons of bitches are on the move and they’re gunnin’ for you. If ya got the chance to fight, do what ya gotta do just keep running. Ya gotta show them what you’re made of. Killjoys till tha’ end, we never die.” The transmission cut short, and the familiar sound of Doctor Death Defying signing off seemed haunting to Ghoul. So Kobra was able to confirm what was going on. He slumped in the driver’s seat.

He watched a small group of people walk by. Neutrals. He used to hate them. Why wouldn’t they take a side, make a stand and try to make an impact? But after time had passed, his view had softened. He would never want to stop running, but he could see why someone would want to avoid this mess, this war. It was tempting for people to hide from the turmoil of the world, in pills, in family. But until it was fixed, there would be nowhere to hide. He leaned forward and snagged a cigarette off the dashboard. Until the fight was over, he would still risk his neck out there so they could go home and sleep well at night.

Exhaling smoke, Ghoul scratched at his jawline. He felt like everyone out here owed him, and he liked that idea. He watched the sun rise, his mind heavy with thoughts of bitterness. It was hard to let go of. Everyone out here was safe in their homes, while his friends died. Shouldn’t someone wake them up? Were they just as bad?

He sat there for a few hours, trying to understand them. He made up stories as families and couples passed. Most people were in a group or at least with one other person, maybe that was the safest way to get around. It made Ghoul feel like a minority because he preferred spending his time alone. He ran a hand through his hair as he watched a small family of four head into a diner. Then he slowly rose out of the Trans to head back inside. Poison had to be up by now, right?

He entered the room. Oasis was still passed out on the bed, Revenge was up, and Poison showed no signs of waking. “Hey,” she whispered to Ghoul when he came in.

“Hi,” Ghoul said bitterly, not trying to hide his dislike for her.

“Can you stop it?” she snapped.

“Stop what?”

“This attitude you’re giving me, you’re not better than me.”

“Oh I’m not? I’m sorry, I thought actually working for a living and not mooching off the guy whose dick I’m sucking is proof. I’m sorry, I was mistaken.”

“I’m not mooching.” Revenge mumbled.

“Oh, you’re not? Funny, you bring in no money. You don’t clean or help with anything aside from getting Poison off. Last time I checked, that’s mooching.”

“Fuck off,” she hissed weakly.

“Oh, you wish I would, I bet you wish a lot of things.” He gave her a filthy look.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Oh, I know all about girls like you, your type is so easy and they’re even easier to expose.” He sat down in a chair and leaned back. “Isn’t that right?”

“You’re fucked in the head.” She twisted her lips. “I ain’t doing anything wrong.”

“So you say, isn’t that what they all do? Innocent innocent, aren’t you a stripper?”

“I used to be.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not anymore.”

“That’s all that counts. Once a whore, always a whore.”

“Fuck off. I’m nothing like that.”

“It’s only been, what, a month, two?”

“It’s been long enough. I’ve changed.”

“You really think I believe that? Or him? You know he only likes you for putting out. You left once, he’s expecting you to go again.”

“Shut up!” she snapped and slapped him across the face.

“Revenge!” Poison was sitting up and staring at the two in shock. “What the fuck has gotten into you!”

“This isn’t what it looks like, he was, I was--”

“She’s just a crazy bitch!” Ghoul grabbed his cheek. “I knew she was unstable and this proves it!”

Poison walked over and frowned at Revenge. He didn’t like how this looked. “What happened?”

“She just fucking hit me!” Ghoul said.

“Not you.” Poison fought to keep his voice level and calm. He didn’t like the look of this, and he was unsure of who he could trust. He hated this feeling.

“He was just talkin’ shit and I snapped!” Revenge was shaking, and she wanted to vomit. She never wanted this to escalate this way.

“Revenge, you can’t hit him for being annoying.”

“I wasn’t even talking shit! I just asked her a question.”

“Did not, you called me a whore!”

“I don’t need you two acting like toddlers!” Poison roared, his face turning red with anger. He was having enough trouble trying to get a straight answer. If they started fighting, he wouldn’t get to the bottom of this. “Revenge, don’t fucking hit him no matter what, Ghoul, she’s not a whore, lay off her just cuz you can’t get any doesn’t mean you should bash us for it. Now apologize and make up!” He felt like he were playing parent to two immature teenagers. He sure as hell never signed up for this.

Ghoul and Revenge shot each other heavy looks. Neither wanted to give in, but the harsh look from Poison made Ghoul shrug. He wasn’t going to make things too tense. But he would do what he had to, to make sure that everything ran smoothly and it ended with her being out of there.

Revenge sighed. “Whatever,” she muttered and draped her arm around Poison’s hips. She buried her face in his back and mumbled into his back. The words were unintelligible, but they weren’t things you could say in polite conversation.

Poison sighed and threw his hands up before pushing his hair back and wrapping his arms around her. The fight in the Zones wasn’t as bad as his personal life. He pressed his lips into her hair and led her outside. “Revenge, I need everyone to get along.”

“I know, Poison, he was just saying shit and I--”

“It’s good, he always says shit,” Poison interrupted and took her by the shoulders. “I just need you to be the bigger person in this. I know it’s tough and he’s a little shit.”

“But why do I have to be the bigger--”

“Because I need you here. I love you Revenge, and I just want us to be together.” He took her face in his hands. “That’s it. I just wanna be happy and drama free.”

Revenge frowned and kissed him. “Don’t you care how he’s making me feel? It’s like he’s kicking me when I’m down. I’m so confused and--” Fresh tears began to fill her eyes. “I just want him to stop.”

“As long as you react, he’s going to go after you. He’s just a jealous little punk, okay?” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I’m telling ya, you just gotta let it go.” He kissed her forehead again and smiled. “Don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you, it’s him I don’t trust,” she whispered. He tilted her chin to stare into her eyes. “I love you, Poison. You make me so happy and I just wanna lose myself with you.”

Poison smiled and he ran his fingertips along her cheeks. “Good. Hearing that makes all the shit that’s been going down worthwhile.” He leaned in to capture her lips again, but frowned when Ghoul walked out, interrupting their time together again. “What do you want, Ghoul?”

“We need to talk about something and it’s a lot more serious than the drama here.”

“I’ll go in,” Revenge whispered, kissing Poison again before slipping back into the room.

“What is it?” Poison didn’t have the patience to handle this right now.

“I heard your brother on the radio.” He arched a brow when Poison went pale. “Now I got your attention, eh?”

“Just keep talking, shortie.” Poison’s voice dripped with betrayal. Why didn’t he tell him this from the start? Why did he always have to start shit!

“Oh, I will. He’s on a brainwashing kick. I think they’re all at the station, and I swear to you, they’re getting intel out of Jet on this one. I think we may have a mind on the inside. I’m wondering if this plan of theirs backfired.”

“You got all that out of a radio broadcast?”

“What can I say, I know you guys well, and I know what you’re thinking before you say it. I know you better than you know yourself. And I know you don’t really love her.”

“Not this again, Ghoul. Can you just shut the fuck up about it?” he snarled. “She is happy with me, and frankly I know I’m happier with her than I’ve been in a helluva long time.”

“Oh really now? I seem to remember a time you were beyond happy.” Ghoul leaned in close “Or did you forget?”

Poison shoved Ghoul back by his shoulders. “That was a long time ago and it was nothing more than a mistake. We need to forget it and move on.”

“Oh, I can’t forget it. And no matter what you tell yourself, neither can you.” He winked. “It may be no big deal today, but I promise when you’re lying in bed alone, I know what you’re thinking of.”

“God, you’re such a little creep.” Poison groaned and rubbed his face. “Can we just get back to the broadcast?”

“Whatever you want, Red.”

“Don’t call me that,” Poison grumbled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “So my brother is okay?”

“Well, he’s with the old man, so I’m sure he’s been hit a few times, but it seems that way.”

Poison exhaled. “I’m gonna try to get to D over the waves, see if I can hear this for myself.”

“Be my guest.” Ghoul smirked and slipped back into the hotel room. Poison watched him walk away and kicked the ground. He wasn’t happy with the choice he had made, leaving his brother behind like that, but he did what he had to. Despite being assured of his brother’s safety, he felt his stomach knot up at the possible what ifs of the situation. Poison shook his head and turned to the sun. It was midday, he knew that much. Everything had been a blur for so long, maybe this was the glimmer of hope he needed.


	9. Ghoul's Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fallen teammate causes guards to go up and tensions to rise among the killjoys. Finding out Jet's situation becomes a top priority when stress of new runs is added onto the guys. A fight between Ghoul and Poison leaves a bitter aura among the diner. Will this falling out be the end of life as the team has known it?

A few minutes passed and Oasis crept out, her eyes tired. “Party?”

“Please call me Poison,” he mumbled and looked away.

“Is Jet going to be okay?” Oasis stammered.

“Yeah, of course.” He ran a hand through his hair. “He’s lucky he’s got ya to care about him, you know that?”

Oasis’ face turned red. “Excuse me?”

“He’s lucky he’s got you,” Poison repeated and managed a weak smile. “Gives him something to push for.”

Her hands clamped over her mouth and her face turned the same shade of red as Poison’s hair. “T-thank you!” she squeaked out, a big grin forming on her face

“Sure thing, kid.” 

He headed to the Trans and dug out the radio to try to get the old man’s waves. He prayed his brother would be the one to pick up.

“You got us!” a peppy familiar voice answered after a bit of searching.

“Pony.” Poison leaned back in his seat. “Is Kobra there?”

“Yup, lemme grab him.” Poison heard some static and movement, soon followed by approaching footsteps. 

“Yo?” Kobra called soon after.

“God, I could kill you right now, you know that?”

“Hey, Poison.” Kobra chuckled. “Good to hear you’re in a good mood.”

“Shut up, you could have sent a transmission when you were safe.”

“I’ve had other things to handle, I figured it could wait.”

“I’ve been sitting here worried about if you were alive or dead, and that could wait?” His voice turned cold. “That stings, man.”

“Oh, come on, you know what I meant.” Kobra sighed. “Anyway, about Jet.”

“Yeah, what’s going on there?”

“Whatever he was injected with in Better Living cleaned out his thought process. Jet still has his memories and knows who he is, but he seems to think we’re a part of Better Living.”

“So they scrambled his head up.”

“To a certain extent, yes. But I worry it could be more than that.”

“Like what?’ Poison frowned. This didn’t sound good.

“He’s getting energy bursts from it, and his adrenaline is up. By the time he woke up and I got to look at him, his heart was on the verge of an attack.”

“Wait, what?” Poison couldn’t believe his ears.

“Something about what they put in him triggered his fight or flight sense, except it won’t stop. He constantly thinks he’s in battle. He could up and drop dead if he isn’t treated.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly.” Kobra ran a hand over his chin. “Luckily, fluids and forced rest with some detox are helping the situation. It looks like when he’s hydrated, everything moves faster. Jet’s already headed back to normal, so it’s just a matter of time ‘till he can return.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Poison was apprehensive after the attack.

“I swear on it, I wouldn’t lie to you on this. It’s amazing how much he’s turned around.”

“And you’re sure he’s not lying?”

“D hooked him up to a polygraph, we know he’s not.”

“If you’re sure.” Poison didn’t fully believe it. If they could sneak this by them, everything could be a lie.

“And you? Are you sure they didn’t get anything in you?”

“Positive. They kept taking Jet and just beat the shit out of me.” He groaned at the memory of getting beat that badly. Shaking his head, he frowned. “So this is what they did to those other runners?”

“That’s the idea. I don’t know what else they may have been exposed to, so I can’t be sure.” Kobra paused. “It’d be one hell of a job trying to round them all up.”

“We can’t,” Poison mumbled. “We don’t have the strength or the manpower to go after everyone.

“I see. Well, what can we do?”

“If we run into them, we can do our best to restrain them and send them back with D. He can manage detox for us while we keep running.”

“Are you sure that’s the only option we have?” Kobra frowned. It seemed like all the pieces fit too perfectly, like they were part of Better Living’s plan.

“I think it’s the only one, yes. If we try to take on too many, we won’t be able to hold back the Drac raids as much as we are. And if we just disappear, everything is going to go to shit.” Poison sat up again. “Something big is coming, and I want to know what it is, Kobra.”

“We’d need more intel than we have to be sure, though. We can’t risk jumping the gun on this one.

“My thoughts exactly. Are you able to get anything out of Jet?”

“Yes and no.” Kobra paused. “It’s tricky because he’s still going in and out from the meds. Some of it is so unintelligible that I won’t even try to decipher it.”

“Gotcha.” Poison nodded. “Well, when can you be back?”

“I can come down in a few days. I just wanna be sure Jet’s being taken care of.”

“Got it.” Poison held his breath. “I miss ya, little bro.”

A smile pulled at Kobra’s lips. “I miss you too.” He was happy to know his brother didn’t hate him.

“I’ll see you soon then.” Poison cut the line and headed out of the car. He couldn’t wait until his team was whole again.

\---

By the time they headed to pick up Kobra, it’d been more than a week. Poison wasn’t exactly thrilled, but it was something. He had been more on edge lately then he would have liked. Everyone had seemed tense since he had snapped at Ghoul over an issue with the Trans. The girls didn’t say much, either. His eyes rested on Oasis in the backseat. He could tell she wanted to go back to her home, but it wasn’t safe there anymore.

Oasis looked out the window, weakly hugging her knees. As much of a dream as this was for her, things were difficult. She missed her home, her little spot behind the desk, her things. She sighed and ran her fingers along her flask. She didn’t know where her life was headed anymore; any sense of schedule was lost on her nowadays. At least she was running with her heroes. But frankly, they seemed more like a pack of teenage boys at times than a group of rebel leaders inspiring everyone to move on. They were more like guys with a few lucky shots than anything else.

She met Poison’s gaze, then looked away. She didn’t know what to do or say anymore. It was like being trapped. But a few months ago, she would have given anything to be in this situation.

Poison looked back to the road, gripping the steering wheel tighter as they pulled up on the station. It was a mess, and things would only get back to normal if his brother were here. He hopped out and opened the door for the girls in the back, smiling at them as he urged them out. The atmosphere was still tense and awkward, and no one seemed willing to get out, until Revenge slid out and gently took his hands. He placed a quick kiss on the back of her hand, then laced their fingers together and lead her inside.

The station itself was small, as D and Pony moved from place to place. Occasionally they found a larger hideout, but usually they were tiny hole-in-the-wall places no one would look twice at. A moldy old couch sat in the middle of the room, where Kobra and Pony were drinking coffee. They looked up when everyone entered. Things were tense for a moment until Poison went to his brother and wrapped his arms around him. Holding him for a moment, Poison sighed and let go. “So, where is he?”

“He can’t see anyone, not yet,” Kobra said. “His recovery is taking longer than I would have hoped.”

“It’s hardly been ten days.” Ghoul frowned.

“Well, I had hoped we could take him with us by now, but I don’t see that happening for a few weeks?”

“Weeks?” Oasis rasped.

“I don’t know how much Poison told you, but yes, weeks.” He shook his head. “All we can do is hope for him.”

Oasis nodded and swallowed. The world seemed to be spinning, and she couldn’t even grasp the rest of the conversation. By the time she looked up, everyone was heading out to leave. She rubbed the crossed belts over her chest and signed. She couldn’t go home, but she didn’t belong here, either. “Guys, is it okay if...if I hang out with D and Pony? Maybe I can, I don’t know, help out?” she offered.

Pony smiled. “We’d love it if you joined us.”

“Thank you.” Oasis gave a small smile and moved to follow Pony through the station.

This was the best situation for everyone: one less mouth to feed, and it was somewhere safe that Oasis could stay for the time being. Poison had a long talk with D before they left the station. He wanted to see Jet, but they all agreed that might not be the best thing for any of them. When he returned home, Poison frowned when he saw what looked like a breach. He ordered a quick check, but nothing serious came of it. More than likely, an animal had wandered into their territory. Poison exhaled and followed his brother to check on the kid they’d taken in.

“How you feelin’?” Kobra smiled down at Bright Eyes.

He was pale and flushed, but nodded. “I-I’m good.” He inhaled sharply and grabbed his side.

“I can see that’s not true.” Kobra brought him a flask. “Drink up, we’ll need you stronger sooner rather than later.” Kobra smiled to himself.

Bright Eyes nodded, a faint blush on his cheeks as he slowly drank. “T-thanks,” he sputtered, his mind a fuddled mess.  
Kobra nodded. “Now, promise me, if things get any worse, you’ll let me know right away.”

“Sure thing.” He rolled onto his good side, his cheeks bright red.

Kobra leaned back on his heels before turning to see his pissed off-looking brother.

“How long is he going to stay here?” Poison said.

“I don’t know,” Kobra admitted. “‘Till he’s strong enough to handle himself.”

“This isn’t a hospital, Kobra,” Poison snapped. “If we took in every ‘Joy who had a scrape, we’d never get anything done.”

“Well, I’m going to take care of this one. Jet’s out of the picture, so why don’t you go back to planning out next run and leave this to me? I’ll get him back on his feet, and maybe he can help out later on. You never know when it could be helpful.”

Poison frowned. He didn’t like having people he didn’t know or trust around them. That’s how people get killed when they didn’t deserve to die. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to Revenge, who was smoking and leaning against the wall.

He smoothly approached her, then grabbed her hips and tugged her close. “You sure you wanna stay here with all us gross guys?”

She smirked and exhaled smoke in his face. “I made my choice,” she cooed, draping her free arm around his neck.

Poison let out a throaty chuckle. “I hope you’re willing to stand by that.” He winked before leading her into the kitchen. Maybe things could work out for them here. All they had to do was stay calm and stick together.

Revenge headed to make them some coffee. They were always in need of more of their sweet elixir, and she was practically part of the family now anyway. Poison shook his head, glad to see her coming out of her shell, and went to scrape up some Pup for dinner. It wasn’t his first choice, but at least it was food.

“So, what are you going to be doing next?” she called over.

“Oh, who knows. Now that Jet’s down, we’ll need to take easier runs. You know, more dropping shit off and less bang bang.”

“I can’t complain about that.” Revenge laughed, her entire face lighting up.

“Oh, what, you worry about me?” Poison smirked and slithered over.

She rolled her eyes. “Something like that.”

“Ohoho, you caaaare about us.” Poison batted his lashes. “Oooh, Revenge has feelings.”

She lightly shoved him and laughed. “Yeah, you should be happy about that.”

“I am,” Poison said and draped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Their lips were about to meet when Ghoul walked in with a frown on his face.

“Do you really have to do that in the open?” he grumbled.

“Like you’ve never done anything in public,” Poison scoffed, going back to kissing Revenge.

Ghoul eyed them and shook his head. “Disgusting,” he muttered.

“Excuse me? I couldn’t hear you over your hypocrisy.”

Ghoul’s eyes met his. “You two are disgusting.”

Poison glared. “Say that again.”

“Nah, I’m good, apparently she laid eggs in your ear and you’ve gone deaf.”

Poison roared and tackled Ghoul, pinning him down easily. Ghoul smirked up at him. “Try it again and I won’t hold back,” Poison hissed through his teeth.

“Oh, I bet.” He smiled and pushed Poison off. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

Poison shook his head and flipped him off. He didn’t want to deal with his shit, but he didn’t have the heart to hit Ghoul. Not in the way he’d like to, at least. Everything was dramatic and messy as it was, and he didn’t need everything falling apart on him. He felt helpless.

Revenge moved to Poison’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder in a silent show of support. Her mind was racing. She couldn’t help but feel that this was all her fault. He took her hand and managed a weak smile, then pulled her smoldering cigarette from her fingertips and took a quick inhale. He just wanted to relax with her. Why was that so hard?

“Hey,” she whispered and placed her hands on his face.

“Hey,” he whispered back. “Come on, let’s go lay down, it’s been a long day.”

He led her to his room and they cuddled in bed together. She laid down and closed her eyes, his hands running up and down her arm and hip. He was trying to make her feel good; that was all that mattered to him, their happiness and safety. He kissed her temple. “I’m gonna fix it, Revenge.”

When the sun crept up on the diner, Kobra groaned and rolled out onto the floor. He missed his own room, but he was plagued with nightmares from staying there. His sleepy eyes unwillingly opened and he looked around. A wry smile appeared on his lips. The smells, the atmosphere; he was home. He stood up and stretched, getting ready for a busy day. He had a patient to take care of, and that gave him all the work he needed. Whistling, he went to make coffee for the team. He smiled at the thought of being the only one up for a while. There was something about this time, right when the sun rose, that was beyond peaceful in the diner. He hummed to himself while the coffee dripped down and leaned on a table. His eyes were fixed on the window. Despite the hardships of living out here, there was something beautiful about each sunrise. A gift from the gods saying their side was right. After all, how could such art exist if they were meant to live in black and white?

The buzzing of the coffee maker snapped Kobra out of his reverie. He smiled and poured himself a mug, inhaling deeply, then sat down and pulled out a newspaper. It was about a week old, but he felt it was important to keep an eye on what was going on in the city. He smoothed the paper and glanced things over. It was mostly propaganda, but reading between the lines, there was a sense of panic. There were reports of a break-in along the city walls, and the risk of Killjoys being in their presence. A smirk pulled at Kobra’s lips. After all the shit Better Living caused with their newest stunt, he was glad to see poetic justice.

Setting down his mug, he smiled when Ghoul came in with his hair in his eyes and a frown on his face. Kobra chuckled as Ghoul made a beeline for the coffee and started chugging it, not willing to waste a drop of it. After three mugs, he said “What do you have for us today?”  
“Looks like a break in. So some good news.”

“Well, I just wish we could take credit for it.” He chuckled and started on a fourth cup.

“If only, right? I wonder what kind of runs we’ll be taking with Jet down.”

“I don’t know, I just hope we’ll get to blast some fuckers, sooner rather than later.” His smile twisted into a dark grin. “I just love seeing them fall.”

“I know you do, man. You’re such a natural.”

“Fuck yeah, I am. I could teach you some moves if you wanted.”

“I think I’m good.” He winked and went back to the paper, finishing the last of his coffee. “How we doin’ on rations?”

“We got enough for a week or so,” Ghoul said after checking the pantry.

“So we’ll have to pick some up, then.”

“Well, maybe if we didn’t have some extra mouths to feed.” He gave Kobra a stern look.

“Talk to Poison about the skirt. As for Bright Eyes, he can take some of my rations.”

“You’re too good of a guy, you know that? Since you’re feeling so generous, why don’t I take some, too?”

“I’m not that much of a saint.” Kobra bonked Ghoul on the head.

“Oh, how you hate me.”

“You’ll get over it.”

“No, I won’t.” He leaned against Kobra. “Come onnn.”

“You’re such a fucking baby.” Kobra shoved him a little.

“Oh, my heart! She breaks!” Ghoul fake-choked and fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back into his head. He didn’t know what would get Kobra to crack, but he knew he would find it.

Kobra nudged Ghoul’s body with his toe. “Not working.”

“Shit.” He groaned and sat up, his hair falling in his eyes. “Oh well, I tried.”

“Save your acting for when the happy couple comes in.” Kobra winked.

“Oh God, no more of that shit. I am so tired of it. If I see any more groping and kissing that isn’t part of a porno, I’m gonna end up shooting myself in the head.”

“And you think that my brother is the drama queen of the team.”

“He is, and the worst part is he’s rubbing off on everyone else! It’s like a middle school lunch room here.”

“Again, you’re just as bad.” Kobra laughed, then looked over the maps. “Looks like we’ll be heading out to Zone Three this week.”

Ghoul followed him to the other room and slumped into a chair. “Oh joy, more supply runs for the old man.”

“Didn’t he beat you with his cane and tell you not to call him that?”

“Pssh, the old man loves me. Just like I know you do.”

“Oh yeah, I cannot hold back my homosexual feelings for you any longer. They’re consuming me like a black hole.” He threw his head back and closed his eyes. “Take me now!”

“Ew, no way, you’re too tall!”

“Oh, what, you’re intimidated by someone whose any bit taller than you?” He leaned close to Ghoul and winked.

“Oh, fuck off!” He laughed and shoved him back. “You’re killing the fun of this!”

“You’re the one who’s no fun. You have to take it if you can dish it out.” He shot Ghoul a filthy smirk. “‘Course I know you can do both for a fact.”

Ghoul’s face flushed. “I hope you’re having fun with this.”

“Oh, I am. I’ll remember this one for weeks.”

Ghoul laughed. “Fine, fine. I suppose after all the shit I’ve put you through we can call this one even.”

Kobra smirked and turned back to the maps. “So we have a few short runs in Zone Six, wanna take them on with me?”

“I suppose I can forgive you that long.” He snickered and nudged him.

“Come on then, let’s gear up.” He went to grab his helmet and jacket. Times like this reminded him why they were such good friends.  
Ghoul followed, his signature Frankenstein mask hanging over his head. They decided to take the backup Firebird instead of the Trans. The old girl had been working too hard as of late. Kobra took the wheel and softly watched the road. His leadership was the opposite of his brother’s. Instead of a tense atmosphere was a relaxed one. Even in times of crisis, Kobra had the amazing ability to remain calm and take everything in stride. He didn’t stand out in any field, but he learned quickly and retained information. Ghoul swallowed and charged his gun, turning to the horizon. He was ready to take this on if it came to a firefight. Being security gave him some form of a purpose.

Kobra smiled to himself and pulled up at the drop point. They had reason to believe that Drac outposts were nearby. They got out to check the site, sneaking behind rocks and keeping low to the ground. They were fluid and quick, like animals on the hunt. Ghoul was finally back in his element. He grinned when they finally laid eyes on the Dracs. Ghoul jumped out and fired and watched their bodies fall. As backups came in, Ghoul easily took them down. He felt like a god. An undefeatable force that no amount of Draculoids could stop.

Kobra watched him with wide eyes. No one loved a good fight like Ghoul, and it was impossible to be unimpressed by his wild movements. He always seemed to be two steps ahead in a fight. Kobra took his flank when it was over, staring down a floor full of corpses. Ghoul laughed and jumped in the air. It had been so long since they’d had a good fight.

“All right, man!” Kobra laughed and slapped him on the back. “Maybe I do need a few lessons from you.”

“Maybe after this shot.” He winked and led them inside. An older computer sat in the room, with intel about all the monitored sleeper cells in plain sight. Kobra pulled a flash drive from his pocket and downloaded the information before blasting the monitor. He kicked the computer over and shot it until plastic pieces flew everywhere, then turned to Ghoul. “See if they have any rations stored in any other rooms. I’m gonna check their files.”

Ghoul nodded and took off, racing through the hallway and throwing open every door. He found a few discarded regulation meals and snagged them up before running back to Kobra, who was burning a stack of files. “Let’s go!” Ghoul shouted, and they raced to their car. They had to make a clean getaway and--

BOOM!

The entire building went up in a rush of flames. Their eyes widened and they darted into the car, aimlessly throwing the food in the back. Kobra slammed himself into the seat and took off. His hands shook as they wildly sped away. He finally exhaled when they were a few miles away and sunk into his seat. He gave a weak chuckle.

“Nice one,” Ghoul teased. “Almost barbequed us.”

“I know, I know, maybe fire wasn’t the best idea, but at least we managed to cause a bit of hell.”

“Fuck yeah, and we even got some free food of it!”

“That too.” Kobra finally allowed himself to smile. “Feels like the good old days, eh?”

“Yeah, we’re still the baddest fuckers in these Zones!”

“I think we need to remind ourselves of that sometimes.”

“Oh, is that so? You a head doctor now, too?”

“Nah, but I think I know enough about you to know what you need sometimes.”

“A cigarette and dusting some of these baddies, yup. If all of your meds are this good, I’ll take them!” Ghoul laughed and grabbed his pack of smokes from his vest pocket, then lit one up.

Kobra rolled his eyes and scanned the road ahead. They needed some place to cool down after that run. Eventually, he pulled up to a bar in the middle of nowhere. A few beers would probably do the trick.

Ghoul spun around on a barstool and laughed to himself. Give me two beers,” he called and threw some carbons on the table.  
Kobra sat next to him and nodded in approval. “Thanks man,” he mumbled. He grabbed the bottle when the bartender laid it on the counter. It was lukewarm and probably a little old, but beer was beer out there. And you wouldn’t catch him complaining about one he didn’t have to pay for.

Ghoul downed his bottle in one swig, then hummed to himself and drummed his fingers on the bar. “So what’s the plan after this, man?”  
“Well, we can hit up a few more sites, or we can just hang out.”

“I like the sound of either,” Ghoul laughed, ordering another beer for both of them.

Suddenly a beefy looking man loomed over them, casting a shadow on them from the overhead lights. His dark eyes were fixed on the pair of newcomers. “Ain’t I seen you before?” he snarled in a gravely voice.

Ghoul blinked. “I dunno, have you?”

“Hey, don’t laugh at me, punk,” the man grunted, clenching his hamlike fist.

“Chill out, buddy. I don’t mean anything by it.”

“Listen, we don’t want any trouble,” Kobra said.

“Well, then, maybe yer friend here should learn to keep his mouth shut.” He leaned in close and Ghoul coughed. His breath smelled like rotting fruit.

“You might want to--” Ghoul began, but Kobra clamped his hand over his mouth.

“You punks are those Killjoy guys, ain’t ya.” One of his massive hands stroked his chin.

Kobra’s free hand hovered over his gun. “And if we are?”

“Then I suggest ya’ get the hell outta here.” He grinned, revealing holes where teeth were gone. “None of us like those Killjoy assholes provoking that damn city.”

“Hey now!’ Ghoul shouted, breaking free of Kobra’s hand. “If you don’t fight against their shit, you’re as bad as them.”

“Don’t tell me what I am, kid.” He shoved Ghoul back with a force that sent him flying against the bar. Ghoul hissed in pain.

“Like I said, we don’t want trouble.” Kobra stepped between them. “He didn’t mean anything by it. We’ll just take our beers and go.”

“Fine, but don’t show your fucking face anywhere near here,” the man spat, making another fist.

Kobra helped Ghoul to his feet and took him back to the car. Ghoul looked disoriented. He hissed and rubbed his arm weakly, not expecting that attack.

“Shit, I’m sorry man,” he mumbled.

“It’s fine. Are you all right?”

“Heh, I will be. I’ve had a lot worse than that.”

Kobra nodded. “If you’re sure.” He pulled the car back onto the road and headed back to the diner. As fun as a day out sounded, after that little scrape they were better off going home and planning from there. Sometimes Kobra forgot how hated they were out here.

Getting home was more of a pain in the ass than Kobra had hoped. He had to keep an eye on Ghoul, making sure he hadn’t hit his head too hard. If he died under Kobra’s watch, he’d never hear the end of it. It was dark so all they had were the headlights, alerting anyone around to their presence, and it was quickly getting cold. He shook his head and glanced at Ghoul before turning back to the road.

He finally saw the diner and pulled up with a slight swerve. He wasn’t in the mood for anything else to go wrong. Helping Ghoul limp in, he frowned, seeing his brother all over Revenge. “A little help here?” he snapped.

Ghoul shot the pair a filthy look. “You have to be kidding me,” he grunted and leaned against Kobra.

Poison walked over with a furrowed brow. “What?”

“We’re gone all day, and you don’t even notice?” Ghoul hissed.

“You’re both adults, I didn’t think you needed me to babysit you.”

“No, we don’t! But you could try acting like the leader for once!”

“Say it again, Ghoul, I dare you!”

“You’re no leader of mine,” he spat in Poison’s face before limping to his room and grabbing what he needed. He was out of this dump. Why did he even stick around this long?

\---

Flying through the sands, Ghoul smirked to himself. He’d show them. He didn’t need them or their bullshit. After all, he was Fun Ghoul. He could handle fighting out in the Zones on his own, and anyone who followed usually brought him down. He smirked even more when he realized the sun was starting to go down. He had gotten away, and now all he had to do was make it on his own, just like the good old days. The setting sun made the sky burst into vibrant colors. This was what being a Killjoy was all about: man and nature, real beauty. Being out against the elements and whatever white face creeps would sneak out after him. He got off the bike and tugged his mask off. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face and neck, and he let out a laugh.

He threw his old sleeping bag on the ground and frowned, seeing the small holes in it. It seemed a few moths were making a meal out of his things. He felt a slight pang for the old mattress at the diner, but shook it off as he lay down. At least out here he had his freedom. Staring up at the sky, his crossed his hands behind his head and took a deep breath. It was nice and warm out tonight, so he didn’t need to be boxed in anyway. By the time the cold came in, he would be able to snag a new sleeping bag. Crisis averted. He smiled as he closed his eyes, ready to start his new life free of those toxic personalities.

But he sweated, groaned, and tossed and turned all night. And when he awoke, he remembered he had no way to make coffee. Ghoul groaned and tugged at his hair before getting to his feet. The sun wasn’t up yet, so at least he had an early start. He packed up his sleeping bag, loaded it onto his back, and got on the bike, then kicked it into life and sped away from his camping site. His stomach growled as he drove. He needed to stop and grab something to eat, because he had forgotten to bring enough food supplies. He searched for any small dump where he could get food, whether through buying or stealing.

He finally pulled up on a temporary dump some Killjoys had put together. “Hey motorbabies,” he said when the young girls started squealing. The girls hooked him up with some extra food, water, and blankets, and he blew them a kiss as he drove off. The bandana over his face shielded him from the burn of the sand, and he squinted behind his aviators. Not a sign on the horizon or a cloud in the sky. He could get used to this life, this weather. Now he finally felt like he had control over his own destiny.

He headed to a new spot and started to pitch a camp. It took longer than he was used to, directly in the elements and with no one around to help, but something about finally having privacy felt perfect to him. The the only thing getting to him was the silence; it was almost driving him mad. He hated the way it seemed to surround him, closing in like a masked threat. He wanted to scream, but something wouldn’t let him. All that time alone had made him paranoid. He sighed and looked down at the little site he’d made. He’d hung up a canvas sheet and laid a few cans of Pup on the ground. It wasn’t pretty, but it was his. It would take some time to getting used to being on his own, but he would. He had no choice in the matter.

\---

Poison wouldn’t stop ranting and raving. How dare he? Where did Ghoul get off pulling shit like this? He couldn’t just up and leave! They’d been a team for so long that he couldn’t remember when they’d been apart more than a few day run. The audacity that Ghoul had to insult all of them this way and abandon his brothers! It made Poison sick. They’d already lost Jet for some time, and the last thing they needed was to split up!

Kobra watched all of this with a straight face. He didn’t know what to say. He understood Poison’s points, but he also knew why Ghoul had left, and he couldn’t blame him. Things were complicated, and he had no idea how to fix it this time. Shifting in his seat, Kobra let out a small sigh. Poison gave him a harsh look. 

“Just give him time, I’m sure Ghoul will be back,” Kobra said.

“Well, this is my team and he can’t leave without my say so,” Poison hissed.

“That’s not how it’s going to work this time,” Kobra whispered, astoundingly calm. He didn’t know if this was the best path either, but he wouldn’t hunt Ghoul down and force him to stay.

“Well, too fucking bad, I’m going to find him and drag his ass back here!” He tugged on his jacket.

Kobra put a firm hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You can’t. I know it and you know it, but the fact is, you can’t.” He gave him a squeeze before letting his hand fall.

Poison stood there for a moment, making a bitter face and turning away. “Goddamn it,” he whispered and closed his eyes. He knew his brother was right, but it was hard to accept. “He’s going to get himself killed,” Poison mumbled.

“It’s Ghoul. If anyone knows how to handle himself, it’s him.” He smiled weakly. “Have some faith in him.”  
“But he’s upset--”

“And this will give him some time to calm down. I suggest you do the same.”

Poison shot Kobra a scathing look and stood, then headed outside with a cigarette clasped between his lips. He closed his eyes and tried to forget what had happened, and what was going to happen if Ghoul didn’t come back. His didn’t hear Revenge slip out, silently leaning up against the wall next to him. He jumped slightly when he noticed the flash of purple and extended a cigarette for her. She took it, and lit up, saying nothing. It was nice to have these quiet moments after all the craziness.

“I won’t be around much, you know,” he said finally.

“What?”

“I have to cover Ghoul’s slack too now. I have to do three times the goddamn work.” He took another drag. “I don’t know what to do.”  
She frowned and crossed her arms. “With what?”

“You.” Poison replied bluntly. “I don’t know if I should leave you here or with D, or--”

“Fuckin’ Christ Poison, I’m not a dog. You don’t need to pawn me off on someone. I can take care of myself.”

“And if you got hurt? If there was a raid and I lost you too?” His voice was low, almost shaky. “You want me to deal with the fact I’ve lost my best friends and then lose my girl when all it would have taken to protect her was leaving her with someone I trusted?”

“I can take care of myself,” she repeated coldly and turned away.

Poison groaned. “I really don’t need us fighting right now, you know that? Can you just support me in this?” He looked at her with weak smoldering eyes. “Just please.”

She stubbed out her cigarette. “Whatever, Poison, whatever you want.”

Poison took her hands and kissed them. “I’m going to make sure you’re safe. I don’t want to risk running and being worried about you the entire time.”

Her eyes softened and she nodded. “I know,” she mumbled and looked away, embarrassed by her stubborn temper. “I’m sorry all of this fell on you.”

“It’s not your fault.” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her hairline. “It’s my job.” He nuzzled his face in her hair and smiled weakly. “Just let me enjoy you.”

“I love you,” Revenge whispered, shaking in his arms.

He finally led her inside and kept an arm around her waist while he made coffee. His eyes were distant, heavy with thoughts he couldn’t even begin to put into words. She watched him with careful eyes. Any words seemed to be too much. Everything was too disorienting. Revenge swallowed and nuzzled her head into the space between his chin and collarbone.

Kobra walked in with a limp cigarette clasped between his lips. He tried to avoid smoking indoors and smoking in general, but right now he wasn’t in the mood to worry about it. He grabbed a can of Pup, his stomach grumbling. They had to get moving, and fast. “Come on, man, we gotta get going.”

“Just give me a second,” Poison said, pouring the coffee.

“Fine, give me some of that?”

Poison handed Kobra a mug. “So, where are we headed?”

“D’s, we’re picking Jet up.”

Poison almost dropped his cup. “What?”

“D and Pony are sure that he’s doing better, and we need the backup. So we’re picking him up and headed for the inner Zones. We have a lot of ground to cover.” He took a sip.

Poison drank his coffee, brows furrowed in confusion. “I guess that makes sense. Revenge, you gonna be up for keeping an eye on this place for us?”

She nodded and left the room. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple.

“So when were you going to tell me?”

“Well I wanted you to get in the right mindset,” Kobra said, refilling his drink.

“I guess that makes sense,” Poison admitted and finished the last bit of coffee. “No time for waiting around, then. Let’s go get him and get running.”

Kobra nodded and grabbed his jacket. Forgoing his helmet, he stuck with sunglasses today. The heat was getting worse, and winter couldn’t come fast enough.

The brothers got in the car and headed out to locate the station. This was harder than it should have been, as D was always on the move and made it nearly impossible to be found. The drive was exhausting. Finally they found the former station. Usually Pony would leave some sort of hidden clue for their next stop. Sometimes they were harder to figure out than they were to find.

After finding a scrap of paper with a doodle courtesy of Show Pony himself, the brothers began to bicker. It could have meant anything: east, west, Zone One, Zone Six. Poison slumped to the floor as he held up the scrap, comparing it to the older maps still hung around the room. Nothing matched up in any significant way. He leaned back, then banged his head against the wall when he finally saw it.

“Kobra lift me up.” He shakily stood and Kobra helped hoist him up. He held the scrap of paper up to a map dangling from a rafter. It looked like they were heading for Zone Four.

Kobra grabbed the scraps of water and food strewn around the building before getting back in the car. They rushed to get back on the road again. Even on a good day, it would still take them a few hours to get there. If they ran into trouble, who knew how long that would take. Sweat dripped down Kobra’s neck and pooled in his shirt. He shook his head, trying to dry as much of his hair as he could, but it seemed like they were cursed to drown in heat. Both men were silent except for the occasional snort or grumble. Neither had anything to discuss as of late, and trying to force it seemed like a lost cause.

There was something comforting about the silence between them. It made Kobra think of their childhood, sitting in the back of the car while their mom drove them somewhere neither of them wanted to be. In general they got along, but there was something about those long car rides that would make them bicker like an old married couple. Their mom would snap and the two would remain silent, seething in their punishment. Kobra smiled weakly at the memory of his mother. He missed her a lot more than he wanted to admit. Resting his elbow on the armrest, he gazed out the window, a dreamy smile on his face remembering all the things they went through together. It was like she was there with him. But his eyes went dark when he remembered when they lost her. He shook his head and looked over at his brother, driving with his eyes fixed on the road. He was all Kobra had left, and he wasn’t ashamed to be by his side no matter what.


	10. Escape the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the team is split, emotions run high. The stress on Poison's shoulders seems to be not only damaging his relationship with his brother, but his sanity as well. Unable to handle the trials anymore, he feels his only choice is to flee. When paths cross and a choice is made, everything can fall apart.

Coming home was more stressful than the brothers could have imagined. If D and Pony were compromised, they risked losing their base as well. Kobra’s brow furrowed as he paced around the dining area. They had to think of a way out of here, a way to make sure their tracks were covered. The plan was to find the duo on the waves, pick up Jet, and get things moving--if Jet wasn’t the one to give them away. Kobra exhaled and began his pacing again, brows knitted. This was going to be harder than he had initially hoped.

Poison was sitting in a booth with Revenge, weakly watching his brother’s movements. He didn’t know what to do. He had to take charge, but what if he made the wrong choice again? What if he drove Kobra away, like Ghoul? He closed his eyes and shook the thought away. Ghoul was just being a prissy little bitch. He needed to grow the fuck up and get over himself. Poison let out a bitter sigh and leaned back, then grasped Revenge’s hand and gave it a firm, reassuring squeeze. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him, and depend on him even when everything was falling apart. He worried that she wouldn’t be able to do that.

Her hands clasped his and her eyes met him. He gave her a halfhearted smile and stared into her eyes. He just needed a moment to get away from the dark thoughts in his mind. “We’ll be okay,” he whispered softly.

She gave him a nod and a gentle smile, trying to seem as sincere as she could. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t need to make it worse. “I know,” she whispered.

Kobra looked over. He didn’t need Poison getting caught up in romance right now, it would literally get them killed. “We need to contact D.” His voice was low, almost surly.

Poison nodded and let go of Revenge’s hand. “I’ll get on the radio, then.” He stood, leaving her to scan the waves for any sign of their host.

Kobra glared at Revenge and frowned. “Can you not distract him? Just let him do his job for a bit, so we don’t all end up dusted.”

Revenge frowned but nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. She was tired of arguing with these guys.

Kobra tugged at his hair before meeting up with his brother, both praying for a signal to give them hope. The waves contained dead static echoing throughout the small room. Both brothers exchanged worried glances until Dr. Death’s familiar gravelly voice came on air.

“We had a bit of an emergency, runners. Better Living is on the move and we got reason to believe they’re on ol’ Doctor D’s tail. We’ll keep ya’ll posted on their movements and try to get these white riders under control.”

Kobra ran his fingers through his hair. At least they were safe. He turned to Poison. “Can we, just, go get a drink?” He looked more tired than he had in a long time.

Poison sighed. This was wearing on him, too. “Sure thing,” he whispered and followed his brother out to the car. Things hadn’t been this tense in so long. He hated the way it felt.

“So,” Kobra said as he started to drive. “Here we are.”

“Here we are.” Poison nodded weakly. This was going to be an awkward day. “Things going good with you?’

Kobra scoffed. “Something like that.”

Poison leaned forward, worry in his eyes. “Well, why don’t you tell me about it?”

Rolling his eyes, Kobra turned a corner sharper than he meant to. “Poison, you can’t just turn this brother thing on and off.”

“The hell does that mean?”

“You’re playing hot and cold with everything, and I think it’s all that girl’s fault.”

Poison sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, all these arguments were making him question himself more. “Listen, I’m sorry,” he said.

Kobra shook his head. “Maybe sorry is too little too late,” he muttered.

Poison’s face fell. He felt crushed. All he wanted to do was help everyone, and the way Kobra was acting was cementing his place as a screw-up on the team. “Kobra, I--you’re my brother and I love you. You always will be my brother, too.” He looked at him sadly. “But I love her.”

“Do you even know her?”

“Yeah, I think I do.” He rubbed his arm, feeling more vulnerable than after the car crash. “She’s shown me the good and bad in her, and I like everything I see.”

“How do you know she’s not lying?” he whispered. “I don’t want to see you crushed again.”

He shook his head. “I can’t fall apart, it won’t be like old times. I’ve grown from those mistakes. I just want to spend the time I have with the woman I love.”

“I know that you’re just trying to be happy,” Kobra said. “But you’ve changed, I feel like I don’t even know you anymore. I just want my old brother back, and it makes me think...” He swallowed thickly. “Maybe you’ve changed even faster than everyone else, and maybe you’re going to leave us behind.” He looked at his brother with weak eyes. “I knew one day you’d find someone. I just hoped I would be with someone at that point, too.”

A smile grew on Poison’s lips. “Is that what all this is about? Man I’ll never leave you in the dust.” He awkwardly patted his shoulder. “We may move around, maybe add more to the team.” He smiled sadly. “Maybe lose some. But you’re always going to be my family. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Kobra blinked. “Is it really that simple?”

“It really is. Just trust me, I’m always gonna be with you. You’re stuck with me, man.” Poison smiled.

Kobra nodded and shifted his attention to the road. He hummed as they pulled up to a bar. At least they could have a more pleasant drinking session. The brothers slipped out of the Trans Am and went inside. Bad memories from the last bar were fresh in Kobra’s mind. He didn’t need his brother getting beat up, too.

Kobra hurried over to a corner booth, hoping it would help conceal them from rowdy customers and any potential bounty hunters. Even the best in the west sat with their backs covered.

They slumped down, then waved a waitress over and ordering two beers. Kobra chuckled. “Well, this place isn’t too bad.”

Poison smirked. ‘Let’s hope they have some good ass beer.”

“With any luck.” Kobra smiled when their beers came. He drank his own slowly. It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t bad. It was hard to find anything decent out here.

Poison quickly finished his, then signaled for another round. Since Kobra was feeling insecure, he would make sure they had some time together to try and repair the bond they once had. With a burp, Poison grabbed his second beer.

“Now, you sure you can keep up?” He winked at his younger brother.

Kobra smirked and finished his first. “Oh, I’m sure I’ll find a way.” He headed to down his second.

After a few beers and a decent buzz, they went to the car, stumbling slightly. But Kobra was convinced he could drive. He fell into his seat and they smiled wide at each other, then sped off. Driving was harder than walking. The car swerved wildly, earning weird looks from the few they passed. Kobra started to lose control, unable to keep from hitting bumpy rocks and small plants. He managed to get onto Route Guano, but found it a challenge to simply keep on the road. The car slid into the sand, meeting resistance, before pulling back onto the road. Kobra laughed and shrugged it off. He wanted to do more, but was unable to even focus on the moment he was in.

Poison fell asleep on the drive home, jerking awake when the car horn pierced through his head. He looked around, wondering if they crashed, but let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Kobra had just fallen asleep. He smiled at the thought of falling into his bed and knowing this would all blow over. After shaking his brother, he managed to get to his feet and trudge inside.

He smiled when he saw Revenge cleaning around the diner and grabbed her from behind. “Hey there,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her ear.

“Mmm, hey yourself.” She laughed and hugged him tightly

“Did you miss me too much?” He flashed her a devilish smirk, dipping her slightly.

She squealed and tried to stand upright. “Oh my God!” she screamed. “You’re insane.”

“Being away from you does that to me.” He snickered and stole another kiss.

She rolled her eyes and went back to cleaning. Poison smirked and nodded to his brother as he came in, grabbing his head as he stumbled.

“My head is fucking killing me,” Kobra groaned.

“Yeah, taking a nap on the airbag will do that to you,” Poison teased and slapped his brother on the back.

Kobra jumped and hissed before shaking his head, mumbling something while heading down the hallway, seeking his bed. Poison laughed and followed his brother’s example.

\---

Ghoul groaned and shifted in his sleep, unable to get comfortable on his bag. He’d been tossing and turning for the last few hours, desperately seeking some form of comfort. But it was still better than dealing with the drama at the diner. With a sigh, he got to his feet and packed up. His body was already sore from the few firefights he’d been in.

Shrugging off the pain, Ghoul slung his bag over his shoulder, then started the bike and took off. He squinted through tired eyes, hoping to find a spot more comfortable than this.

After an hour of driving, he pulled to a stop. He blinked in disbelief and headed over to the small makeshift shack that could have only belonged to one person. Bursting through the door, a smile pulled at his lips. “Well, goddamn, old man, never thought I’d see you again.”

Dr. Death looked up and arched a brow at him. “Oh great, I thought I’d have at least a week before you kids came around,” he grunted in his deep voice.

Ghoul laughed and smacked him on the back playfully, but blinked again when Jet came in. “So what--”

He looked tired, aged. Dirt was clumped in his hair. “Hey.”

“Holy shit,” Ghoul said, then slapped Jet on the back in a makeshift hug. “It’s you.”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Jet chuckled and shook his head, trying to get some of the dirt to fall.

“Shit, man, you look like hell.”

“I feel it.” Jet stroked his chin. “What are you doing here?”

Ghoul shrugged. “I just needed to get away.”

Jet frowned, but didn’t give him a scathing look. In fact, he looked like had quite a few years ago. He smacked Ghoul on the back. “Well, you gotta do what you gotta do.” Jet smiled weakly.

Ghoul beamed at him. “But look at you, up and moving, not trying to kill me.”

He groaned and shook his head. “I’m sorry about that”

“Eh, it wasn’t you, it was those black and white bastards.”

He nodded. “I feel like that’s no excuse, but whatever you say.”

Ghoul shrugged. “Shit happens. At least you didn’t kill me, right?”

“Jet!” a soft voice called from the hallway.

“Who’s--” Ghoul started when Oasis came running in.

“Jet, you silly man, you forgot your jacket!” Oasis beamed, seeing Ghoul. Was he here to take Jet back?

Jet took it with a nod of thanks and slipped it on. “So what’s the plan from here, then?”

“Well, I’m just kind of drifting. Maybe I should hang here.” Oasis let out a sigh of relief, and Ghoul smiled at her. “Seems you got a reason to hang around, too.”

Jet gave Oasis a knowing smile. “Something like that.” He chuckled and draped his arms around her. A fierce blush appeared on her cheeks and she hugged him back tightly, burying his face in his chest.

Ghoul smiled. “Well, I think I can be around here on and off. You got any food?”

“Don’t be lazy, Ghoul,” D grunted from the other room. “If you’re staying here, I expect you to be running to cover your expenses.”

Ghoul laughed. “I ain’t got no problem with that, old man!”

“Call me that again and you’ll get a cane upside the head.”

Oasis giggled and Jet shook his head, amused at their exchange. At least his personality would bring this place to life.

Show Pony rolled in. “Can you not, like, get him riled?” He jutted out his hip and placed his hand on it.

“Oh come on, we’re just having a bit of fun,” Ghoul said.

“Uh-huh, and I have to deal with his blood pressure when you stress him out.” Pony pursed his lips.

Ghoul rolled his eyes. “I think you just like taking care of him.”

Pony laughed. “Whatever. Just make sure you do your part if you’re stuck here.”

“Don’t I always?” Ghoul batted his eyes and feigned innocence.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Ghoul pouted, then waved them off.

“I hate you guys, you know that?” he called as he headed to see where he could sleep.

Jet snickered, then held Oasis tight. “You gonna be okay with him around here?”

“Of course I am. It’s all shiny, Jet” She smiled.

He nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead. “All right, just let me know If anything changes.” He looked away with weak eyes.

“Are you all right?” she asked, softer than she knew her voice could go.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted and closed his eyes. “I just--” He broke off with a sigh.

Oasis took his hand and dragged him outside. “Talk to me.”

“I hated the way I felt when I was like that. I had no self-control, and I hurt so many people. I hurt you.” His face fell and he closed his eyes.

“Jet, we’ve talked about this. I know you weren’t yourself. And I forgive you, and I know everyone else will too.” She gently took his face. “Now that you’re back to your normal self, everyone will be okay.”

“I just wasn’t expecting those memories to be pulled up so quickly.” He sighed and looked into her eyes. “I was hoping I’d have more time to figure what to say.”

She smiled. “But maybe you don’t have to say anything. I bet they just miss seeing you.”

Without another word, he draped his arms around her and pulled her in a kiss. He held her small frame tightly as their lips met. She had the ability to make him forget about all the bad: the dangers of this world, and his own mistakes. It was all wrapped up and thrown down a river.

\---

The sun shone directly on the diner, and the air was thick with emotion. Everything seemed to be lost in a sea of drama and mistakes. Poison sat at one of the tables with his face in his hands. He could faintly hear someone making coffee. He half-hoped it was his brother. He didn’t want to see Revenge today; he was feeling more and more like a failure. Today he’d gotten the call from D and learned that Ghoul was with them. Was it so bad here that he had to run off to D? Didn’t he see how much help they needed around here?

Poison groaned and leaned back in his seat. He squinted when the sun peeked over the desert, hitting him in the eyes. He grumbled and looked for his sunglasses. When he finally found them and slid them on, he stared at the floor for a bit. He wanted to drag Ghoul’s ass back here, but he couldn’t force him to stay if he didn’t want to. Capturing Ghoul was like trying to capture smoke. You could grab at it and try to cling to it, but the more you forced it, the more it would pull away. He went outside for a smoke, needing to be alone for a little bit.

Kobra finished making the coffee and headed to fill up his own mug. Poison could come get some if he wanted any. It wasn’t his job to baby him. Leaning against the counter, he took a large sip of the bitter liquid and thought back to yesterday. He didn’t understand how he could have felt so content then, only to feel bitter in the morning. Tapping the toe of his boot on the tile, he frowned, noticing that Poison wasn’t here. Normally he was up by now.

He walked briskly to his brother’s room. The moment he opened the door, his mug crashed to the floor. Revenge was passed out, covered in her own vomit, and her extremities looked purple. Acting on habit, he rushed over and rolled her onto the floor, then began pumping her chest and start performing CPR. His mind raced; there was no way in hell she was dying on his watch.

The only sound in the room was the pumping of her chest, as he desperately tried to get her to breathe. He was shaking, his pulse pounding in his eyes as he worked harder. He felt wetness on his cheeks before he realized he was crying. At the sound of her gasping for air, he jerked back. His hands were covered in her vomit and his own sweat. He looked down at her, almost betrayed.

“What did you do?” he snapped.

Gasping for air, Revenge grabbed her side, hardly able to process that someone was speaking to her.

Kobra grabbed her shoulders more tightly, forcing her to look at him. “I said, what did you do?” he almost shrieked. He was still shaking, an emotional mess.

She stared up at him, unable to process what was being said. “I didn’t--”

“Don’t bother lying to me. What did you take?” he demanded and started tearing apart the room, looking for any trace of drugs.

“I wouldn’t, that would hurt him.”

He grabbed her arm and looked for any sign of injections. His eyes narrowed, seeing a few small holes. “Liar,” he hissed. “What did you take?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“Goddammit,” he hissed and swallowed thickly. He knew he should pass this onto Poison, but he couldn’t destroy his brother like that. “Just lay down and I’ll clean this mess up.”

Revenge lay back down and closed her eyes until Kobra returned again, forcing water to her lips. She couldn’t believe what was happening.

His eyes were tired. “Don’t you ever do this again. I won’t help you out if you do.”

She nodded slightly and out a small “Thanks” before closing her eyes.

Kobra looked at her before heading to his own room. He ran his hands through his hair. He didn’t want to take her on as his responsibility. He hoped that if he gave her this chance she wouldn’t abuse it, but there was always that chance.

Poison came back in and headed to his own room. He smiled, seeing Revenge splayed out on his bed. He stroked her cheek before slipping in with her, then tugged her close and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. Despite his negative self-esteem, he really did miss her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” he whispered and cupped her face. It hurt him to think of her waiting for him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, slowly rubbing his hands up and down. He missed the feel of her. But the sunlight was growing brighter, and he got his feet. He had to get ready for the day, figure out the run, and make things move. He slowly headed to the main room of the diner, then spread a map out on the table to try to figure out what they could do. Where D could be. 

The smartest move would be focusing on staying safe. He frowned. They had to do something. If they just sat here waiting for D to show up, it could take weeks. But the risk of running and hitting a larger raid than they anticipated was even worse. He didn’t want to put himself or his brother at risk.

He looked at the CB radio, debating on trying to get ahold of Ghoul. He swallowed and shook his head. He couldn’t give in to that shrimp. He had done nothing wrong, and Ghoul needed to get over himself. And that wouldn’t happen if he gave in.

He put out a message on the CB, hoping it would reach D quickly. He didn’t know if this was the best idea, either, but with any luck, a new broadcast would come out soon and they could get back to business.

Poison leaned back for a few moments before rushing outside to get in his car. Even if he had to run a check alone, he was going to make sure that everyone here was safe. And maybe if he were lucky, he’d stumble on everyone else, too. He started the engine and pulled out, then sped wildly along the sands. The resistance to his tires was thick, but he made sure his girl pushed along. He was going to be useful in some way, even if wasn’t the best idea right now.

\---

It was funny to Ghoul how life had so quickly become relaxed. He was free here. He could go out to bars, meet chicks, go on runs. Anything he wanted to do. He chuckled to himself and scratched his head, looking around the wreckage that was Tommy Chow Mein’s shop. Among the heaps of broken TVs and radio parts, Ghoul focused on a pair of silver chains. He extended his hand to grab one when Tommy’s hand closed over Ghoul’s.

“You know the rules, Ghoulie, you break it you buy it,” he chided, slowly releasing Ghoul’s hand.

His face twisted into a pout. “I wasn’t touching, just looking.”

“You look with your eyes, kid. Or did you manage to forget that?”

Ghoul scoffed. “If you keep limiting me on this, you’ll end up losing a customer. Don’t want that, do you?”

Tommy chuckled, a deep rumbling from his chest. “And who are you gonna turn to out here to get what you need?”

“Oh, like anyone needs this junk. Give me a break, I’m a long term buyer!”

“Seems like you need it.” Tommy shook his head and grabbed the chain, then handed it over. “Just don’t snap it, all right?” he reminded before disappearing into the back.

Ghoul snickered. Clearly, he had won that exchange. He pulled off his own necklace. The older charm was a lot heavier in his hand than the new one. After debating on exchanging them, he slipped the new one on to see how it felt. After a few moments of thought, he put his old one on, too. As long as it didn’t slow him down.

“Oi, Tommy do you want your money or not?” he called out.

“Hold your horses, I’m on my way,” Tommy grunted, coming back with a heavy box full of scrap metal. He put it down with a slight grunt and looked over at Ghoul. “Fifty carbons.”

“What, for this?!” Ghoul protested. “Twenty.”

“Twenty for real silver? You’re insane if you think I’d take that. Forty-five.”

The haggling went one for a few minutes. Ghoul got him down to thirty, considering his side of the deal a steal. He waved at Tommy as he headed out, beaming at the thought of showing off his newest trinket to any interested ladies. After all, friendly company was his favorite thing to acquire out here.

He hopped on the bike and sped off, seeking a nice place to rest, preferably one that served decent beer. His eyes scanned along the horizon, looking for any breaks. Tommy was so far off the grid that sometimes it was a pain just to get ahold of him. It was the worst when there was an emergency.

He sighed. The latex of his mask was making the heat unbearable today; the sun seemed to seek out his suffering. He panted, looking for any place to stop and get a drink, forgetting the promise of booze or any pleasant night company. His eyes rested on an old diner and he sped up. When he reached the diner, he all but threw his bike into the sands to get off and rush inside, desperate for something to cool him off.

Slumping down in a booth, he let out a loud sigh and closed his eyes. But when he opened them, his face twisted into a scowl. Poison was standing in front of him, arms crossed, clearly in his “hyper bitch” mood.

“What do you want?” Ghoul groaned.

“Did you decide to stop throwing this hissy fit and come home?” Poison said.

“I’m not throwing one.” Ghoul shrugged, looking out the window to avoid Poison’s gaze. “I’m just out here having fun.”

“Well, you need to get over yourself and come back.”

“Oh, do I?’ Ghoul chuckled darkly. “Last I checked, I’m a grown ass man and I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“Well, you should come back,” Poison hissed. “Or does the team mean nothing to you?”

That elicited a hard laugh from Ghoul. “The team? Really? You’re pulling that card? All right. We don’t even have a team, last I checked. After all, you seem to be more concerned with following whatever drama you can find instead of actually running and pulling your own weight.”

“That’s a filthy lie--”

“Oh is it?” Ghoul met Poison’s harsh glare. “Then why the fuck are you chasing after me, instead of out fighting Better Living?”

“I just came here by chance, I didn’t expect to see you out here.”

“Oh yeah? And you just had to approach me, then? It wouldn’t be easier for you to just move on and let me have some time to myself, eh? What do you really want me for? To run all the missions while you stay home having a discussion with your girl about who’s the big spoon?”

“Shut up! Don’t even bring her into this!”

“Oh, but that’s what it’s really all about in the end, right? I’m just going after your innocent little girl ‘cause I’m jealous, right? I’m the cause of all the bullshit in your life?”

“I never said that,” Poison hissed, looking at Ghoul with genuine hurt. Did he really think that?

“Then why do you treat me like it?” Ghoul hissed back. “Nothing I ever do around you seems to be right. There’s always one more thing I should have done. More of me putting my ass on the line while you lie in bed all day safe and warm.”

“I do more than that.” Poison shook his head and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I work my ass off, too, and yeah, I expect you to support me. I risk my life the exact same way you do every damn day. You know why? It’s the fucking job, it always has been and no one, not Revenge, not Korse and sure as hell not Better Living is going to stop me from going out tomorrow and doing it again.”

“Nice speech, what do you want a medal?” Ghoul laughed bitterly. “You’re good at giving pep talks, I admit that one, it’s why you make a good leader. But you’ve changed, Poison. You’re content to do nothing while other people suffer.”

“You know that--”

“After all, you wouldn’t have snuck off as often as you did to be with her. Not that I blame you for picking a good fuck over work, but at least be honest about it.”

“I do my best to do everything I can!” Poison roared, causing the entire diner to stop and watch the two.

Poison slammed his hands down on Ghoul’s table. Ghoul smirked and leaned in closer to Poison. “Well, maybe it’s not enough, Poison. Did you ever think of that?”

Poison was shaking. His face was red, and all he could feel was anger. His field of vision turned the same shocking red as his hair. Then everything went dark.

When he finally came to, he was straddling Ghoul’s chest with his hands tightly wrapped around Ghoul’s throat. Ghoul’s arms flapped around, struggling to push Poison off as his face turned a deeper red. He thrashed and squirmed about, doing everything he could to free himself. Quickly coming to his senses, Poison leaped off the younger man, his hands red and shaking. He didn’t mean to, he told himself. He didn’t want to.

But he did. The look of guilt and self-loathing was easy to see. Ghoul panted, staring up at the mess Poison had become, and tried to rasp something out. But Poison took off running. He couldn’t look back, couldn’t go home. Poison felt the same way he had when he was a little kid and accidentally broke a neighbor’s window while playing baseball. Even then he had packed up his stuff and tried to run away, unable to face the disappointment from his parents.

He threw himself in the car and slammed on the gas. The tires screeched as he lurched forward, nearly driving into the diner, but he managed to think coherently enough to drive himself away. He had no idea where he was going. Maybe he would just go back and forth around the Zones until he ran out of gas. He would become a hermit and everyone could think he died. Anything would be better than going back to the diner and telling his brother what happened. Telling Kobra that he had screwed up, again.

Poison must have been twenty miles away when he realized he was crying. Hot tears mixed with the dust on his face and stung his eyes. He pushed them away with the back of his hand, to no avail. Maybe this was what he deserved. Pain seemed to be all he caused nowadays. His brother, his team, even Revenge: they would all be better off if he disappeared for good.


	11. What goes around comes around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Poison's escape, the four deal with the fall out, while looking for him. Hoping that he's still alive, but the desert is a harsh mistress.

Everything was hot. Poison felt delusional as he stumbled around. He’d experienced dehydration before, but nothing this intense. It’d been days since he decided to leave. The Trans Am had run out of gas, leaving him stranded without food or water. His body ached, knowing everything was in vain. It would be hours until the sun was down. Then what? He’d stay out here until he died.

No, don’t think that way. You won’t die. Who's going to look for you? Ghoul would have told them what happened by now. Everyone is going to hate you.

He choked on his breath at the realization, then stifled a sob. He was alone out here. No one would help; if anyone found him, it’d be Better Living. He could almost imagine the papers cheering his execution. Doing his best to choke down these negative thoughts, he shook his head.

I will not die this way.

Opening his eyes, he glanced around. There had to be some way to get a signal for his radio. Some way he could contact D and Pony. Maybe get himself set up at a new base, make a comeback. Then his team would have to see he had changed. They would see how hard he was working and forgive him.

~*~  
“Where is he?” Kobra stormed into the diner, looking frantically around the room. “He has to be somewhere.”

“Better Living would announce it if they had him by now,” D said. “Probably got his ass stuck somewhere it doesn’t belong.”

“We can’t count on that.” Kobra snapped. He shook his head. He was trembling.

“He’s fine, Kobra,” Jet said, trying to keep his voice even. “He just needs some time to cool off.” Ghoul scoffed and Jet shot him a look. “A lot has been happening recently. He might’ve just needed some time to process it all.”

Ghoul crossed his arms. “He just needs to get over himself.”

“Oi!” D grunted and smacked Ghoul with his cane. “You can bitch about your petty fight after we find him. Better Living may not have their paws on him, but you can bet your ass they’re looking.”

Ghoul rolled his eyes. “He’ll turn up, fucker always does,” he said under his breath before going back to his old room. He was way too tired to deal with this shit.

D shook his head, his eyes following Ghoul’s form. “He’s right, you know. But we’ll keep an eye on the waves for him.”  
Kobra nodded, rubbing his forehead. Fuck, I can’t handle this shit much longer. “He’d better.”

He nodded to everyone before heading for his bike. The least he could do was look around the area. There had to be some sign out there.

Jet nodded to D. “If you guys have waves, I’ll stay here. He might come back.”

“We could also draw a target on our backs being here, so be careful,” D grunted. He turned to Pony. “We’re just a radio away.”

Pony nodded and pushed D out of the diner. The van waited for them, looming under the sun. “He’ll show up, right?” Pony’s voice was low, hushed.

“He always does,” D muttered. He refused to see any other side of it. Who else could lead this team?

-*-*-  
Travel was slow for Poison. He squinted, trying his best to keep a visual going. He was a threat, no matter what anyone said. He was a danger to his team. His legs start to shake; he nearly doubled over, gripping his knees. All I have to do is get the gas, go back to the car, and drive away. That seemed to be his mantra as of late: get away, run away. He didn’t even feel like himself anymore.

Maybe that’s what fate had in store for him. He was a traitor, a coward; wasn't that their fate? To run from the bridges they burned and turn from the backs they stabbed. Poison shook his head. He might as well have been a Better Living rat. He was a failure as a Killjoy and a leader.

-*-*-  
Pony skated around the local routes, searching for any sign of Poison. Days had turned to weeks. Once they heard a garbled message they thought could be him, but it had led to nothing. It was like he had changed his mind. If Better Living had him, they’d know it right away; no way they wouldn’t flaunt his capture. But D wanted to give up. He’s either dead, or he don’t wanna be found. His words echoed in Pony’s head. But in his eyes, there was nothing wrong with asking around again. Maybe they could find some sign, something that would prove that Poison wanted to come back.

He ran to the diner at all hours, just to hear if anything had changed. The final straw was D suggesting that they look for a replacement. Letting Kobra lead the team and taking on a new ‘Joy. The thought made Pony’s stomach clench. I don’t understand it, he thought. How can Poison just up and abandon his life, his goals? Maybe I’m not supposed to understand it, but I have to do something.

He had observed that Ghoul had been in a state of shock since Poison's disappearance. He had violent nightmares whether he was at the diner or the station. After the initial sarcasm and anger ebbed, he was unable to perform any of his duties. Even the light in his eyes had faded.

Now they had to take on extra responsibilities. More people, more carbons, more food, more space. Pony sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t blame D for his thinking. He was just trying to do the right thing. But was it the right thing to do?

Pony pulled a canteen from his bag and gulped down the water. It was foul and dusty. He made a face and tried not to spit it out. The increased responsibility was taking its toll on him. He'd begun shaking again; his hair was falling out. How was he supposed to hold the station, the diner, and Dr. D together if he could barely manage himself? Like scattered puzzle pieces, nothing seemed to fit together.

Pony started to get a headache. The sun beating down on his exposed neck and trapping the heat and dust in his helmet wasn't helping, nor was the makeup smeared over his eye. Rolling along the pavement helped some. At least he could feel vibrations if someone came too close. He closed his eyes. It was never really safe out here, but moments like these helped Pony forget everything. After a certain point, he had to accept that everything had changed forever. There was no going back, no matter how much the others fought it. But he wouldn't change anything. Becoming a Killjoy had brought him to Dr. Death Defying, and this was the greatest time of his life.

Pony opened his eyes, squinting in the sunlight. A weak-looking figure was slumped on the road in front of him. Immediately Pony drew his gun. This trick had been used too many times to catch compassionate Killjoys. Moving lightly and quickly, Pony darted toward the figure. The mess of red hair made him stop. His face drained of color.

Pony hurried to Party Poison without a second thought. He flipped him over to make sure that was him, a living, breathing, sweating person. Not once did he make a real attempt to wake Poison. Just seeing him unconscious was bad enough.

The trek back to the station was slow, with Poison's boots dragging behind Pony's legs. The scraping noise made Pony more paranoid than usual. It wouldn't take much to overpower him in this state. Doing his best to breathe evenly, he forced his legs to keep moving, despite the burn in his calves and quads. Pony hissed from the pain, but kept going. Under no circumstances could he leave anyone behind. Let alone one of the Four.

\---

Getting Poison back to the station had drained Pony of what little energy he had. It took everything he had not to collapse outside in the sand. "Jet, D!" he tried to shout, but it came out barely more than a whisper. Leaning his head against the wall, Pony was struck with an idea. He struck the wall with his helmet, making a loud crack. D and Jet rushed out straight away. When they saw the unconscious Poison in Pony's arms, Jet quickly brought him inside.

"You did good, kid," D grumbled before offering Pony his hand and helping him roll inside. His skates thunked on the wood floor. Pony collapsed in an old rusted folding chair that whined in protest.

"T-thanks," Pony wheezed. "I found him a few miles down Route Guano." The details were already becoming a bit fuzzy. Removing his helmet, Pony continued. "I didn't see any surveillance or patrol, thank goodness. If they would have caught sight of us like that--"

D shushed him by raising his hand. "I can fill in the blanks. It's good we found him alive." A crease formed between his eyes. "How did he manage to get there without being caught?"

"Stubbornness and dumb luck," Jet said, slipping under a towel hung above the doorway to keep the heat out. "He looks all right, but I'm no Kobra. I think he fucked himself up something good."

"Isn't that always the case?" Chuckling, Pony shook his head. His eyes looked tired, and even the half-smile on his lips seemed forced.

"We can be grateful that whatever kept him going was there. I don't think this is going to be the easiest to resolve." D grumbled and adjusted himself in his chair. "Jet, get on the waves and let Kobra know that his brother isn't dead." Jet nodded and headed to the radio. "And you--" D turned to Pony. "You gotta watch yourself out there. I can’t go and find a new sidekick."  
ony's lower lip jutted out. "What is that supposed to mean?” he said.

"I'm saying what you did was foolish. You could have been killed."

"Yeah, but I wasn't."

D arched an eyebrow. "Did anything else happen?" he said. His tone was slightly amused, but underneath that he was serious.

"No, I'm fine." Pony sighed and leaned back. He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes following the cracks in the rotting boards. "We need to replace some of this soon," he mumbled.

"You're not yourself." D didn't pose it as a question.

"I will be soon enough." He waved D off. "Just drop this for me." He shook his head and gave D a half smile. "It's just one of those things."

D raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Of course," he said. This had many meanings for D, but it rarely meant that he agreed. He wheeled over to Jet, trying to keep his mind moving.

"All right, I'll get him back," Jet said through the transmitter, nodding to Dr. D to acknowledge him. "Yeah, he looks fine. Just passed out, dehydrated." Kobra’s voice was fast and faint. Jet nodded at the radio as if he were speaking to Kobra face-to-face. "We'll leave as soon as I grab everything. All right, stay shiny."

"You heading out, then?" D said.

"Yeah, Kobra wants to give Poison a good look over before we just assume he's okay." He stuffed things into his bag as he talked. "He's worry that with the stress and all Poison could have seizures. Better safe than sorry. "

"All right, keep going out there. Keep an eye out for anything slightly out of the norm." D moved back toward the transmitter, checking for scouts or patrols.

Jet threw his bag into a beat-up junker that Ghoul had fixed up, then went back for Poison and carried him as a groom would a bride. Jet set him down in the back seat before hopping to the front. The engine stalled slightly before waking up. Now all Jet had to focus on was getting back to base. After that, this car could break down as much as it wanted.

\---

Overall, the ride home was steady. The junker didn't like sand much and stalled if the sand was too soft for its liking. Sticking to the major roads made Jet uneasy, but his free hand held his lucky blaster, and Posion's was sitting next to him if it came to a firefight. The sun wasn't as bad today, but it felt like radiation was creeping in from the outer Zones. Sometimes he wished that they had someone to monitor it. Zone sickness was becoming rampant; it hit young kids and the elderly the worst. If it kept up, there would be no future for the Zones.

Jet was relieved when he finally pulled up to the diner. He exhaled, then parked the car and turned it off. It let out an uneasy, skittish sound before falling asleep. Jet carried Poison inside and lay him on the first table he found. After calling for Kobra, he headed back to the car to get everything else.

Kobra was already ready. He'd been prepping to make sure that his brother wasn't going to keel over and die. He wished that he had saline for an IV drip. Kobra swore, seeing how Poison's skin clung to his weakened muscles and bone. He poured water over the angry red sunburn, the worst being on his neck and forearms.

Kobra had sent Ghoul to check on the Trans Am and get it running again. That car was more than just transportation: it was a symbol of hope for the Zones. Trying not to let his mind wander, Kobra stripped his brother down, examining his bumps and bruises. He pulled away once he felt that Poison was stable.

"Just dehydrated," Kobra mumbled, pouring more of the water on Poison’s face. "Slight temperature, possible heat stroke."

Kobra saw heat stroke a lot, in neutral parties and Killjoys alike. It was easy to lose yourself to the sun, especially if your vehicle broke down. Assuming that was the situation here, he stripped his brother down to his undergarments, rubbing aloe on the burns. "He'll be out of commission for a few weeks, at least," Kobra mumbled to no one in particular. "Best to keep him here and not move him. We'll have to take on a defensive position." But the ghosts of past attacks made everyone uneasy. Shaking off the feeling of unease creeping over his skin, Kobra went into doctor mode. If the wars had never happened, he would have made an excellent emergency room physician. It took a lot to shake him up, even working on his brother. But that depended on how bad the damage was, and what it could turn into.

After about an hour of work and multiple compresses, Kobra finally was able to step away. Jet had gone out with Ghoul. It was one of the few moments he’d had with his brother in what felt like months.

"What made you do this?" he whispered. "Why did you leave us again? Why did you run off? Did you want to die?" The thought made tears spring to his eyes. "Do you want to be gone forever? Go out as a martyr and live forever as a legend?" At times, he wouldn't put it past his older brother. He was so fragile at times, so desperate to be liked; anything that would make him matter. He pushed his brother's hair back, tucking the dirty locks behind his ear.

"We need you, you know," Kobra said softly. "We love you, too. I need you." His voice was barely above a whisper. It felt like he had been kicked in the gut. But if Poison was going out as a suicidal martyr, he wanted to get it out. His throat tightening, Kobra excused himself from the room to grab Revenge. He wasn't thrilled with her being in the picture, but he was willing to do whatever it took to get his brother to stick around.

Knock knock. He opened the door. "We found him," Kobra said simply. She jumped up to go and find him. 

Revenge said nothing, looking at the burned body of her lover. She reached for him, but paused, unsure if she would make it worse. Instead, she gently stroked one of the compresses. "What happened?" she said, not looking at Kobra.

"It looks like he abandoned the Trans Am," Kobra mumbled, looking away. "I sent Ghoul for it. We'll get him back to normal."

Revenge glanced over her shoulder and nodded. "Wake up safe, okay?" she whispered to Poison before rising.

-*-*-

Nearly a week had passed since Poison’s return to the diner. Ghoul had returned with the Trans not too long after he woke up. The two could hardly look at each other. Poison was filled with too much guilt. Ghoul hadn't told anyone about his previous outburst, but there was no quick resolution. It would be a long bumpy road, and people would notice. Swallowing thickly, Poison’s eyes darted to his brother. His arms were full of various brushes from the plants growing around the diner, trying to save up what he needed and bottle it away. Running out of medicinal herbs was dangerous, so it was a full time job.

Jet had been going back and forth between the diner and the station. The waves had quieted down, which was never a good sign for them. Everyone was on edge. An attack should have happened by now, and if there weren't patrols or attacks in their area, they were probably happening to innocents.

Poison grunted, getting to his feet. He had taken short strolls outside, trying to get his strength back. The muscles in his calves burned in protest, but he did his best to ignore it. It was the only way to recover. His first stop was his room. He knocked and went inside to find Revenge sleeping on top of the blankets in her underwear.

Smiling, he came up and rubbed his hand on her leg. "Wake up, babe," he said.

"Hngh?" was her muffled response. She yawned. "What’s up?"

"Let's go on a walk." Poison smiled down at her, taking her hand.

Revenge nodded. She tugged on some jeans before leaving his room. Keeping their fingers laced together, the couple stayed within sight of the diner's windows. "How are you feeling?" she finally asked.

"Better then yesterday." He watched the horizon. "Ready to get my life back."

"What's going to happen then?" Her hair blew in her face. She tucked it back.

"We go back to normal."

"What's normal? What if we can't go back?"

Her words hung heavily for a few moments. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Then we'll wreck the world up until it's a new normal." He chuckled and kissed her temple. The stinging in his legs was becoming too much to bear.

"I hope we can," she whispered, turning back to the diner. They'd gone too far out.

"We will. I have no doubt of that."

Poison knew that things would have to get better sooner or later. He rubbed her arm until they returned to the diner. His eyebrows rose in shock when he saw Ghoul. "Revenge, go inside," he whispered. He kept his eyes locked with Ghoul's until they met outside.

"You're back to normal," Ghoul said.

"So it seems." Poison cleared his throat. "Listen, man, I'm sorry--"

"Don't apologize," he interrupted, raising his hand. "Let's pretend it never happened."

"But it did," Poison protested.

"And I'm saying it didn't. I forgive you, if that’s what you want to hear." Ghoul chuckled with a half-smile. "I don't want to rehash this shit and make a big deal. You and I know about it, that's enough. It ain't no one else's business."

Pressing his lips into a straight line, Poison hesitated. "All right. Nothing happened, then." Looking away was easier at this point. "Are you leaving?"

"Hell no, man." Ghoul laughed harder. "You really think you idiots can handle this without me? Look what you did to the fucking car." He threw his arm back to the beat up Trans. "You guys wrecked my baby."

Poison smirked. "Maybe you should have thought to keep extra gas in the trunk."

"I do. It ain't my fault someone forgot to replace it." Ghoul let out a more relaxed laugh. "I'll be sure to inform everyone else." He winked.

Smirking, Poison grabbed his hand. "You'd better. The next time I'm stuck, I'll take it out on your short ass." The pair shook hands and pulled each other into a hug.

"I'd expect no less." Ghoul pulled back and looked at his friend. "Don't fuck up this time, eh?" He smirked before heading back in the diner.

Poison returned filled with a new vigor for their cause. He was finally starting to feel like himself. He wanted to overcome this: the depression, the pain, the guilt. He knew that it was temporary and felt grateful to experience what he could. It just made his happiness that much stronger. He headed into the transmission room to check what intel they had acquired from D over the past week. He had to sit down from the ache in his legs. But he was filled with a newfound determination that he couldn't explain. He was going to figure out what was going on and challenge Better Living in ways that they could never plan for.

-*-*-

et rode the motorcycle he had nicked after the death of his last junker. The wound on his cheek was throbbing in agony. He had run into a group of bandits who weren't happy to have someone else in their territory. He'd taken down a few of them, but was anxious that a few might still be on his trail. He did his best to switch between softer and harder sand to confuse them, but he still wanted to make sure his bike wasn’t followed. He pulled up to a nearby settlement, hoping he could at least get some Power Pup.

The place was a ghost town. He frowned to himself as he walked through with his gun out. Just a few months ago, people had flocked there. It didn't take someone brilliant to figure that Better Living had probably forced everyone out. Killed or captured, it made no difference. Nonetheless, he still needed to pick up what he could.

Many of the buildings were cracked and falling apart. They looked as if they had been built well before the modern age, with nothing erected after the wars. He kicked around empty cans in the houses. Occasionally he found a salvageable can. He ate the first can of Pup that he saw, not realizing how hungry he was. His wound throbbed every time he exposed himself to the sun, worsened by the sweat and dust from his helmet. He had to wear one of the masks Poison had thrown together for them when they first started running.

Being on his bike had some drawbacks, the biggest one being that it was hard to salvage with. No trunk space limited him to a small bag. He found some overly-processed vegetables that he felt had a 50/50 shot of being good. A few numbing herbs were hidden in the next house. He rubbed them on his wounds, which stung in protest. After wincing for a few minutes, he got back on his bike and headed for the station.

The wind whipped angrily against him as he drove. Even with the addition of his helmet, it was like fighting an uphill battle. Concerned about an oncoming dust storm, Jet pulled over beside a large rock. He positioned both his bike and himself under it, trying to protect them both from the ongoing gusts. He sat there for about half an hour, but the winds refused to die down. But what caught his attention was the faint sound of car engines. He peered around the rock to see the bright colorful cars roll past. But something felt wrong about them, so he did his best to keep hidden.

He had never seen Killjoy cars move like that. He couldn't get a good look at the drivers because of the bright sun and tinted windows. But it made his stomach churn. The number of cars in such a small area, all moving similarly, was an even bigger red flag. He ran a hand along the front tire. He wished the storm would die down so he could head out.

Suddenly he heard shots fired, a lot of them. He pushed his bike down on its side and moved as quickly as he could on foot. He followed the sound to the source, only to find a group of Killjoys bound with their eyes covered. Before he could do anything, the Draculoids came up. The Dracs shot each of them in the head. Their bodies fell into the sand, limbs falling at unnatural angles.

Jet crept behind a rock formation to keep hidden. He watched the Dracs strip the Killjoys’ bodies, taking their clothes and changing into them. Jet's eyes widened. It all seemed to click. He needed to get the hell out of there.


	12. When Reason Fails

The blood rushing to his head was the only thing that Jet could focus on. That, and the rage pounding through his veins, thinking of that silly plastic charm attached to his wrist. He wasn't sure how he was going to react, but he wouldn't let those Better Living fucks get away with this. Those 'Joys were young, hardly teenagers. Bile rose up his throat as he pulled the trigger, pegging one of the Dracs square between their eyes. All attention snapped to his hiding spot. But at this point, Jet didn't care.

He rose, firing methodically, as if he were a trained sharpshooter. He was going to make those bastards pay, avenging every single innocent Killjoy who fell at their hands to play into this sick game that Better Living had created. Part of him realized he was yelling, just screaming at corpses, but he couldn't hold back. Blast after blast, he fired. Tears started to pour down his cheeks. He could feel the blood hit his face and body, but it was like he was watching a movie of himself. He was completely dissociated from the fact that he could have ended it. It felt like seconds, but in reality it was a good hour before he stopped beating the half-dressed corpses of his enemy. Falling to his knees and panting, Jet's body started to shake from the adrenaline. Screaming out a final time, he crumpled in anguish. He should have acted sooner, should have done more; he could have saved those nameless 'Joys laying in the sand. But he hadn't.

Panting and hugging his knees, Jet took a moment. The sun was setting past the rocks and sand. He watched it go down slowly, sadness in his eyes. It was as if the heavens themselves were saying goodbye to these innocent souls and damning the ones who took their lives. Jet swallowed before getting to his feet. He had to make sure D was aware of what was going on, why it was so quiet. He stuffed down some of the hard feelings as he trudged to his bike. He was going to do everything in his power to keep more innocents from dying. No matter what it took.

The drive back to the station seemed infinitely longer than it had been before. That had to be his first stop. He already knew he'd be up driving all night. However, when he arrived at the station, everyone was out. Jet shook it off, revved his bike, and headed for the diner. There was a good chance that D and Pony were there. After all, if things seemed calm, everyone would have to know something bigger was going on. And there was power in numbers.

Trying to focus less on the memories of the day, Jet's eyes scanned the road. It was nearly dark, so all the warm reds and yellows were replaced with dark purples and blues. The stars were showing through the smog, little green lights looking down on him. It was easy to forget in moments like this. He could be anyone else, driving along the road without a care in the world. But part of him knew that this was nothing but a comforting lie. His stomach sinking, he grit his teeth to keep himself focused. On some nights, forgetting the desert was the best thing to do. But tonight, that would be a lull that could prove deadly.

Pulling up to the diner and killing the engine, Jet left his hand on his gun, just in case something had turned bad. But everyone was hunched over a map, D included. They spoke in hushed voices, their heads snapping up as he came in.

"What kept you?" D grunted, an eyebrow raised.

"I found out what's going on," Jet said. "They're disguising themselves as us."

"I thought they were just brainwashing Killjoys," Kobra said.

"Well, I think they figured it out. I found them executing a young group and taking their shit." Jet's lips pressed into a tight line.

"Explains the blood." Seemingly unfased, D went back to the map. "You might wanna get that off, you could scare the shit outta people."

Jet blinked for a moment and looked down at his jacket, stained with dust and dried blood. "I guess I sorta lost it on this one," he admitted.

"Seems like it. So it's safe to say they're jacking cars as well?"

"I think so. A few passed me and they were slow moving. Seemed like they were looking for targets."

D nodded and made a few marks on the map. "Put down your location," he said. "Between the brainwashing and this, we need to be able to alert those kids in the desert."

Something about D's words shook Jet at his core. Grabbing the plastic peace sign on his wrist, he leaned forward, marking where he saw not only the cars but the executions. "That should cover it," he whispered.

"I'll be sure to call it in." D patted Jet on the back with his free arm. "Why don't ya get some rest and let us take a whirl at this."

Jet nodded. He rose and looked around before going to the bathroom, where he saw the dried blood on his face and neck. He winced slightly as he did his best to wash it off. Unable to hold it in anymore, he vomited multiple times. The taste of acid overpowered his stomach contents. Cleaning up the mess he made was his new priority, even over the idea of sleep. He didn't want anyone to ask about what he saw, or what he did. If they did, he was sure to lose it.

He headed for his room. After he stripped off his jacket and jeans, Jet collapsed in his bed, kicking off his boots. He lay face down for a few minutes before rolling over, staring at nothing in particular. He just wished he could blank out his brain.

\---

As Jet headed to bed, D's eyes followed his disappearing form. He shook his head. "Well, this confirmed our fears," he said. Of course, he'd had an idea, but he had hoped he was wrong. "This puts our entire operation at risk."

"Why now?" Ghoul spoke up. "They've had ages to come at us like this, what's changed?"

"We have," Poison said. "We've managed to elude every trap they've set. Of course they're going to keep evolving." The heaviness of his words set in, suddenly leaving him feeling trapped. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"So it's never going to end, we just have no hope?" Ghoul said. "No, I refuse to believe they won't stop. Everyone has a breaking point, and we're going to find theirs and make them crumble from the inside out." His fist beat down on the table. "We say that we'll never die. If we lose hope, then everyone else will!"

A smirk came to D's lips. "Always can count on all of you to be dumb and suicidal," he said. "That's why you're my go-to." He looked at the four men in the room. "We're hoping some of our intel can break down their security measures and hack into some of their plans, but getting the information will be dangerous. We'll have to have the pickup in Zone Two, and that's if we're lucky."

"I can get the drop," Pony said, standing up. "I'm the fastest."

"Yes, but I wouldn't be able to drive the van out there. It's too far for you to go on skates. I wanted to ask Kobra--" D's eyes met the blond's. "You're the fastest on 'cycle. I think it'd be a hell of a risk, but the payout would be incredible."

Kobra studied Dr. D's face for a moment, then nodded. "I'm in."

Poison looked at his brother warily. "There needs to be a backup," he said. "I don't want to just charge into this."

"You could wait in Zone Three," Kobra said. "Check out for supplies, and be there if I need backup."

"No radios, though," D interrupted. "They keep a tight grip on the waves out there. If they could catch a signal, you'd be discovered."

Silence grew in the room. This was more than a risk. This was a suicide mission. 

"I'm still down," Kobra said. "We can meet at a location we all know. If there's a problem, I'll head for a backup location and wait out their watch."

"Draculoids are gonna be everywhere," Ghoul warned. "If they even have an idea we got a mole in there--"

"They ain't stupid, I'm sure they got an idea," D said.

"Exactly," Ghoul said. "They're gonna be keeping an eye on every hole, crack, and safehouse. We can't rely on backup plans on this one. You gotta just act."

Kobra nodded. "I can do that, no problem."

Poison kept his mouth shut. While he didn't want his brother going headfirst into a hot zone, no one else could handle stealth like him. And the last thing he wanted to do was make Kobra feel like he didn't support him.

"Then it's settled," Poison said. "What's the drop date?"

"I'll contact my source. It should be within the next two weeks, no later then that at least." D pushed himself back into his chair, tapping his fingers. "If we pull this off, we might be able to take them down once and for all."

Kobra smiled. "Good chance of death and all aside, I really hope you're right, D," he said. "We could use a victory just to show we aren't sitting around doing fuck all."

Laughing, Ghoul clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit, snakey boy. We're the fuckin' Killjoys and we'll send 'em to hell and back before they know what happened!"

Even with Poison's caution, the energy was contagious. Ghoul announced he was taking Kobra for a drink, as he was finally acting like a Killjoy. D and Pony went to pack their van with the various pickups they'd brought in their planning. With Jet asleep, Poison smiled to himself. He headed back to his room and climbed in bed with Revenge.

"Hey," he whispered, pressing his lips to her hairline. His arms made their way around her.

She snuggled into him and sighed. "Hey, are you done being leader for today?"

"Yeah, from the looks of it." His hand stroked her violet hair. "Were you all right today?"

"Same as every other day, I suppose." Revenge brought her body up against his and draped her leg over his.

"We gotta find you something to do, teach you how to fight or something," Poison said. The look on Revenge's face made him laugh. "Right, right. Maybe being around is for the best."

"That's not funny," she grumbled, pushing him playfully.

His hands slid down to her hips. He grinned. "Yes, it is."

"Nu-uh, if you're gonna be a jerk you're not getting any."

Poison kissed her nose. "I'm okay with that, as long as you're laying here with me."

Pouting, she laced her arms around his chest. "You're lucky you're smooth."

Poison laughed and held her tight, not wanting anything to ruin this moment. He buried his face in her hair and sighed. It was moments like this that made him feel like he could always be happy.

\---

Kobra was the first to rise. He always woke up and straightened around the diner. It drove him mad when he felt like no one else would pick up around here. It didn't have to be 100% clean, though that was his prefrence. But out here, it was impossible. Someone was always bringing sand and dirt in, or propping their feet up on the tables while they were caked in mud. Sweaty shirts laying about the diner, reeking of sweat. And here he was playing maid for three other grown men. But if he didn't do it, no one else would.

Ghoul was the worst offender, so Kobra always started with him. Despite being the smallest, he managed to sweat the most and be the laziest. Sighing, Kobra went to his corner pile. At this point he wondered if it were just expected of him to clean up after everyone else. Seperating the clothes from the rest of the junk was easy; it was the washing that was the worst. Not having much water to spare, it was reused over and over and over. It usually took on a brownish-green color, until he worried mold had formed and insisted on changing it. Though everyone else, with the exception of Show Pony, seemed not to care.

Whenever washed Ghoul's clothes, things fell out of his pockets constantly: wrappers, magazine pages, napkins with numbers. At this point, Kobra just shook it out and threw it in a junk pile. He didn't want to know too much about Ghoul's personal life. 

Once the wash was up to dry, he went to clean the floors. No matter how often he tried to clean them--and try he did--they were always worse than the last time. He swept first, then scrubbed the worst spots. It gave him time to look for mice and other rodents as well. They didn't bother anyone too much, but he was worried that Better Living could make spy equipment that looked like them. So he shooed them out and plugged up any holes they created.

After finishing his morning routine, Kobra made the first pot of coffee. He could finish it alone within fifteen minutes. It was one of the little things that made his day. He grew tired of sharing everything, but what other choice did he have? Sitting back in one of the booths, he watched the sunrise. They all got such little sleep, it was easy to let views pass them by. But he had a nagging feeling that he should kick back and enjoy life a bit more. He sipped the remainder of his coffee. After standing up and stretching, Kobra headed outside to check on his bike. 

While Ghoul was the better mechanic, Kobra's bike was his baby. He knew her inside and out. He tried to tune her up at least twice a week, make sure she was running right and in great condition. This was a special morning; he knew that much. On a whim, he grabbed his infamous Good Luck helmet and geared up for a ride.

The desert was sweet to him today. It was cool enough to still be comfortable. The wind whipped around his body like a comforting blanket. There were times that riding felt like it awoke the truest part of his soul. Like blasting a good song and losing yourself in it. This was one of the best ways to get therapy in the Zones. He easily turned sharp corners, his bike nothing more then an extension of himself, like an extra limb. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, before taking in every detail of the world whizzing past him. Unlike his brother, who tended to tune out the noise and the details, he loved to focus on them. After coming to a stop, he stared out at the majesty of the desert before heading back for the diner. He had to be back before everyone else woke up, or they'd be concerned. 

There was something comforting about heading for home. Maybe it was just the pressure of the upcoming run starting to hit him. The risk of not being able to come back. But Kobra shook off the thought as soon as it appeared. If he fell down that tube of anxiety, he'd never get out in time to do the run. After killing his bike when he came to the side of diner, he sighed, almost sad to get off. Taking off his gear and helmet, he shook his head sadly and went inside to get the next pot of coffee going.

Ghoul was the next up instead of his brother. He arched a brow at the slight change in order, but shook it off. Weirder things had happened. Silently he pushed a mug over to his teammate, who took it happily.

"Went out for a ride?" Ghoul said, motioning to the fine dusting of sand on his clothes.

Kobra chuckled. "I don't get much time off of business," he said.

Ghoul finished his first, then headed to pour himself more from the old coffeemaker. "Eh, everyone's gotta have something to keep 'em sane out here," he said. He understood it better then anyone.

"I washed your clothes," Kobra said. "Clean out your fucking pockets next time." He chuckled and shoved Ghoul playfully.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's not my fault you freak out about it!" He raised his hands in surrender. "Nbody makes you do nothing around here."

Kobra couldn't help but laugh. "Sure. If you guys didn't have me, you'd be stuck in all the muck you tracked in and wearing nothing but your skin."

"I'm not above being a caveman," Ghoul said. He grabbed a wet shirt off the clothes line, throwing his dirty one back in the corner before slapping on the other one.

Kobra's mouth twisted in a grimace. "Yeah, I can see that."

"Don't be such a prude, K. K. You're a fucking killjoy." He paused for a moment, then burst out laughing at his own pun.

Rolling his eyes, Kobra headed to his room. He couldn't handle that much Ghoul first thing in the morning.

\---

Ghoul chuckled to himself before gearing up. It was his day to take the Trans Am for supplies. After Jet's newfound discovery, he was excited, hoping to run into some Dracs so he could blast their heads off. Once inside the car, he blasted Mad Gear and Missile Kid and took off rapidly.

Everything was a blur to Ghoul as he drove. He went for his usual stop, a hideout they had stashed with food and other supplies years ago. Over time, it had dwindled, but it was still the best place to check first. Hopping out of the Trans Am, he went to look through the little shack. At one point, it must've been an outhouse someone had boarded up. But it was empty, with little more then a few open cans left.

"Shit," Ghoul groaned. Someone else must have found it and picked it clean. He had to run to a town and see if there were abandoned supplies or a market.

He got back into the car and sped off. He wished he had someone navigate for him, but he shrugged it off, staying in the same direction. He would run into someplace eventually.

\--

Hours flew by, turning into days. The supply run was a bust. It seemed like the outer Zones were being milked dry. Ghoul often went out, passing on wild stories of his fights and conquests. He loved being able to take on Better Living scum and show them who ruled these Zones. It kept his fighting spirit going. No drama, no bullshit; just the wide open Zones and a blaster at his side. Life was good, even if he had to go further and further out on his runs.

His volunteering was welcomed by the rest of the team. Jet was constantly running between the diner and the station, while D worked on intel. Kobra prepped for his big mission, almost always out on his bike. Poison held down the homefront, tweaking the bikes and cars when he had the chance. He kept mapping and working on the intel from the diner side, preparing for a run to Zone Three to test locations before his brother left. He would do anything to make sure Kobra came home safe. He was on his fourth cup of coffee, and it couldn't have been past three in the afternoon. He had barely slept the night before, plauged by nightmares of horrible things happening to his team. He needed to recover from the emotions dragging him down and get out there with Ghoul as soon as he could.

He was tired of feeling powerless over the things that had been going on, as much as he hated to admit it. Every time his brother went out on a practice run, anxiety flooded his being. The worst of it was in his body. He could feel the tension, and nothing he did would release it. It made him crabby and more likely to snap at someone. Poison exhaled, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular on the horizon. He needed to pull himself up by his boot straps. But it felt like every time he tried, he just ended up bashing his head against a wall, stuck in a maddening purgatory that would never cease. 

Rising to his feet, Poison wandered around the diner looking for coffee. Maybe a bit of a pick-me-up would help his thinking. But as he prepped the coffee, his thoughts ran back to when he and Kobra were children. Growing up with different names, different faces. They were just normal people with normal lives, fighting over the television or who got to ride in the front seat. Tears welled at his eyes. Poison brushed them away, but the thoughts kept coming. Flashing back to birthday parties, going to school dances in matching outfits, and how proudly their parents looked at them.

Thinking about his parents was like another slug to the chest. He did his best to forget them; he didn't want to think about how he was separated from them, or if they were even alive. The idea of them living through this made him feel sick. And he found himself wishing them dead, so they wouldn't see what the world had become. Or what he had become. Thick tears ran down his face. He gave up the pretense of wiping them away. He wouldn't be able to stop. Just another thing he couldn't control. Poison slammed his fist down on the counter, hissing when the tile chipped. He heard footsteps and didn't care. If someone saw him like this, so be it.

A gentle hand touched his back. He miserably turned around. Soft blue eyes met his and hands took his face, thumbs wiping away his tears. Not a word was spoken between them as Revenge wrapped up his bleeding hand. The tears, the tension: all of it seemed to ease away as she treated Poison's wounds. When she finished, he took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He'd lost so much and didn't know what more life would throw at him, but moments like this pulled him back to that burning urge to change things. He didn't want this hell to last forever. Maybe it was his punishment. But as long as he wasn't facing it alone, maybe he could survive it.

The pair stood locked in each other's arms for nearly an hour. Poison's face was buried in her hair. The tears came and went, but he couldn't speak the thoughts that rattled in his head. Finally, Poison managed to swallow and whisper "I love you, don't leave me alone in this."

Revenge nodded, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "I won't, no matter what."


	13. Serotonin Lies are Comforting

It felt like utter madness had possessed Kobra's being. He couldn't remember what had gone wrong. It was supposed to be a straightforward mission. Everything was screaming as he fought with his mind. His name was Kobra Kid, and he had a brother. They were in a war, an ongoing one. He hissed in pain. The burns on his sides and neck made his breathing difficult. He could feel the scarring on his neck and head. He shuddered and twitched. Memories flashed through his head. His eyes glassed over and he fell to the ground, convulsing. How did he get here, and more importantly, when would they find him?

\---

He was going to take down this entire operation. If they could find the informant, they could finally end this violence. They'd be heroes to the Zones in a way no one else could. The people of the city would be freed from the death grip of Better Living. Kobra felt confident in his abilities to an extent no one would ever know. After all, he was the best rider in the Zones—or at least that's what his team joked about. Exhaling, he eased his grip on his handlebars a bit. If he got too tense, he would panic and lose his ability to think.

No matter how confident he felt, there were always risks, even when going on a short supply run. The gun at his hip bounced as he moved, a reminder that he needed to react quickly. There was never time for a response. Sometimes it felt like everything in the desert was a reminder of that. Dead bodies seemed to pile up in the middle of nowhere, falling in heaps of tattered bones and clothing. If you took too much time to think, you died. And no one would ever know. People gave up on you. It was just the way of the world anymore. He'd seen so many families ripped apart, they all had; but he'd become numb to the idea of losing people.

Of course, he would be devastated if something ever happened to his brother. And the Zones needed him. After all, he was the figurehead of the Four. His face was plastered on every surface, both in the Zones and the city. Every girl wanted him and every guy wanted to be him. Kobra wasn't stupid. The petty the words and whispers got to him, even though he liked to think they didn’t. But he never expressed this to Poison. Jet knew about it, as he had a similar problem, but there was no reason to take it out on Poison and Ghoul. They were doing everything right. 

Kobra’s visor fogged up, causing him to squint. He had this problem whenever it was a particularly humid day. For so long, he had hoped he'd stumble upon a face mask that wouldn't fog up this badly. It was nearly blinding. He wiped the steam the best he could from his visor, gritting his teeth when the bike lurched. He wasn't thrilled riding one-handed. Even if they were known for being out-of-control rebels, he didn't want to die from stupidity. 

As the drop-off point grew closer, Kobra’s heart rate sped up. Successful missions flashed through his mind. He pulled to the side of the road for a drink. He wouldn't have time once he broke into the next Zone, as it would be too risky. But getting dehydrated would be stupid. He surveyed the area carefully. Despite the stillness, his stomach still knotted. A sense of doom swept over him again. It happened whenever he had a solo mission. Kobra slid his visor back down and mounted his bike. The sooner this was over, the better.

\---

Kobra’s stomach lurched. Doubling over, he vomited salt water onto the ground. Everything seemed to move and twist in unnatural ways. He wished there were a faster way to get out of here. But with no means of transport within his field of vision, it looked like he was stuck walking. Shaking his head, he forced his feet forward. But he nearly tripped over himself with every step until he fell back on his ass. He shook some of the sand off, then did his best to put one foot in front of the other, like a drunk man being tested for a DUI.

Glancing around, he saw a cactus just beyond the horizon. He stumbled over as quickly as he could, then ripped it open, shredding his hands on the spikes. He barely felt anything as he gulped down the water from the interior of the plant. 

Wheezing and gasping, he noticed the pain, his hands slicked with blood. He tore his shirt to wrap up the penetrative wounds. Luckily, they weren't deep enough to damage the nerves, but there was a major risk of infection. Kobra panted, trying to clear his head. There had to be a way to get ahold of Dr. D or the guys. Trying to map out the Zones in his head was unbearable as the water sloshed around in his gut. He started to dry heave, clamping a hand over his mouth to keep the bile from spilling all over.

\---

Alarms rang throughout the small town. Lights flashed, civilians were evacuated. The trade-off was a bust. Someone had been caught and their mole bailed. Kobra was darting for his bike when he felt hands grip his shoulders. He fought like a cat on cocaine, scratching, kicking, screaming, trying to free himself of the white menace taking ahold of him. Once you went into those cars, there was no coming out. A massive group swarmed over him, forcing him into the back of a white van. 

“No!” Kobra roared as they began to handcuff him. He struggled until a loud crack sounded and he collapsed. They had effectively paralyzed him. Swearing, his spotted his bike just as it was being possessed by these white demons. His eyes closed, tears streaming as he went over the plan. What had gone wrong? Where did he slip up?

The strange grip of a Drac snapped him out of his thoughts. Kobra could feel his hand around his throat, then a sharp prick. His will to fight was draining away. His stomach knotted up. They were drugging him. Now death seemed like a heaven he would never reach.

\---

After vomiting on the side of the road, Kobra gripped his knees, feeling the heaving strain on the muscles in his back. He'd made it to one of the paved roads, but it sure as hell wasn't Route Guano. He hoped he was at least in Zone Two, but it was hard to tell. Everything was in shambles, despite Better Living's heavy presence. They didn't maintain anything.

Most of their symbols were covered in graffiti. Time after time, they sprayed their logo over it, but the shimmers of color showed underneath. No matter how hard Better Living tried to smother the rebellion, they would always be there. A smile tugged at Kobra's lips as he leaned against a wall. If they could keep fighting Better Living, he could, too. 

The sun would be setting soon. Cooler air meant it would be easier to move. Maybe he could find shelter. But the idea of moving while Dracs were patrolling made him want to vomit all over again. He couldn't remember how he had gotten out, but he had escaped. They would make sure that he wouldn't escape again. He pushed himself off of the wall and lumbered forward. There was no way he'd make it out here on his own. All he could hope was that the guys were searching as hard as he was.

\---

Bright white lights shone in his face. Kobra pulled his lips back in a snarl. He had been tied down. Even his head had been braced. He couldn't move no matter how much he strained his body. The tubes pushing into his skin made him want to scream, let alone the rolling beeps of the machines outside his paraphernal vision. He was in the lair of the dragon, and had to find his way out. 

People stood behind the glass. But it must've been a one-way mirror, as he could only see them when the light hit it just right. No one dared enter his room. He did his best not to smirk. He might be able to use this to his advantage. But trying to formulate a plan with the constant beeping in the background wasn't easy. He relaxed more and more, then had a sudden burst of panic. He knew it was just the drugs trying to lure him into a passive and easy state. After all, passive people are the easiest to trick.

His heart raced when his doorknob shook and someone came in. They wore a full mask and hazmat suit, so it was impossible to tell if they were a man or a woman. Kobra opened his mouth to try to rile them up, but his throat was parched and he couldn't speak. It was like someone had stuffed cotton balls into his mouth so far that he couldn't stop swallowing them. He managed a pained wheeze. But the person didn't so much as look up from their clipboard.

Fear kicked in when the figure pulled out a syringe and stuck Kobra's arm. A thick blue liquid flowed into his vein that was visible even under his tanned skin. After adding more solution to the IV, the medical personnel finished checking all his vitals, noting the swelling and discoloration around the injection site. It was exactly what they needed. 

Kobra kicked and fussed, thrashing as they came closer. He needed to get out and they sure as hell wouldn't get anything out of him. He hissed at the worker as more needles pierced his skin. No matter what they did, he knew he had to stand firm. His heart fluttered like a caged bird, causing his EKG monitor to fluster. He would make life hell for them as long as they were monitoring him.

\---

His feet seemed heavier than they'd ever been. Even when he was a child, coming home after he’d been bullied at school, he'd never felt this low. Kobra couldn't help but wonder how much of it was from exhaustion and how much of it was just from the drugs. Just thinking back to that place caused a searing pain in his chest. Hissing to himself, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to snap himself out of it.

His stomach growled. He hugged himself, hoping it would subside. The motion helped some of his senses return. He couldn't sit here and hope that rescue would come to him; he had to rely on basic survival skills. He knelt on the ground and searched for a sharp, dense rock. Kobra nodded to himself. Every time he met one of his smaller goals, his sense of self increased. It helped some of the terrible thoughts in his head subside, like it was filtering the medication out. Intellectually, he knew this was bullshit—it had to be some sort of placebo effect—but he would take it. It was still better then wandering the desert, half-drugged, hoping for rescue. He had no idea how long he'd been held prisoner, and his teammates could only keep searching and hoping for so long. Chances were, they had assumed he was dead long ago.

Kobra started hunting for lizards. Their meat was tough, but there were usually plenty of them to find, and they were an easy kill. You had to step softly and make sure the sand shifting under your feet was minimal. Slow, steady steps usually did the trick. Then it was just a matter of skewing and cooking them.

Making a fire was more difficult than he had anticipated. He had woken up with no lighter or flint, so he'd have to make a fire with friction. He exhaled and fussed over the kindling for nearly an hour before the tiny sparks caught fire. When the flames shot up, he fell back on his butt. His anxiety level had been rising all the while. The ache from being on his feet assured him that staying down was the right option while he cooked the lizards he'd caught. After eating as quickly as he could, Kobra leaned back for a moment. He could tell he had been sunburned. The longer it wasn’t covered, the more irritated it would get. He would be peeling for weeks.

Kobra got back to his feet, kicking sand over the fire. If he kept going this way, he could might go for days before running into someone else. And if no one found him soon, he would surely be dead. Shaking the thoughts off, he pulled his jacket tightly around himself and headed off at a slow pace, determined to get home.

\---

The monitors. For hours a day he was forced to watch Better Living propaganda. Trying to convince him that he couldn't trust his own thoughts. A classic gaslighting technique. If he could just believe that he had been brainwashed in the Zones, or that he was crazy or that the radiation had confused him, Better Living would be able to change him. He spat in the face of a worker who tried to adjust his straps. After several hours of this, he'd attempted to escape four times. And Better Living didn't take kindly to his actions.

Not that they had been particularly gentle before. But now his restraints were cutting off circulation, and they were threatening shock therapy. He refused to speak, even in the face of Scarecrows. No matter what they threatened, no matter what lies they told, Kobra had to keep his wits. When they promised him amnesty, he couldn't help but laugh in their face. The only kindness he'd ever get from them was being shot in the head. They’d tried to break so many Killjoys into docility. Into not being a problem anymore.

Whenever the torture became too much, he started to see red. Luckily, it made him think of his brother's hair. Poison wouldn't break in the face of this. He'd probably raise hell until they begged him to leave. A hint of a smile came to Kobra's face, imagining the damage his brother would do to them the second he was rescued. Time may had blurred together under the eerie fluorescent lights of Better Living. But there was no way his brother would ever stop looking for him.

Kobra's bloodshot eyes darted around every time someone entered his room. He felt like he couldn't trust his eyes anymore. He no idea what was being pumped into his veins. A high dose of a hallucinogen could do permanent damage to his brain. But his gut said otherwise. He was too important, and much too valuable in a coherent state. In their eyes, he held the secrets to ending the rebellion.

\---

A week had passed. By the time he Kobra saw the outline of buildings on the horizon, he convinced himself it was another mirage. The dehydration was playing tricks on his mind. It wasn't until a young woman touched him did he start to believe his hell was over. But before he could feel relieved, his body hit the ground with a thud.

When Kobra came to, he was in a small, run-down building. His heart rate increased when remembered the city. He started to thrash. A figure ran up, trying to calm him down.

“Where am I?” Kobra demanded.

A young woman knelt at his bedside. “You're in Zone Three,” she said. “You looked awful and passed out. I brought you to the infirmary. You're incredibly dehydrated.” Her voice was gentle. 

“Fuck,” Kobra hissed, bringing his knees to his chest. “I need to find a radio. I have to get back to my team.”

She nodded. “I'll do what I can, but for now you need to rest.” She had been wary of helping a stranger, but this man had looked like he was knocking on death's door.

“I don't know if I can,” he mumbled. He closed his eyes, leaning back against the starchy white pillow. Everything seemed to hit him at once: the exhaustion, the pain, and the memories of the horrible things he'd gone through. But he was alive, and had to get home.

“Just try.” She patted the blanket before rising, hoping the man would get some rest. The last thing he needed was to run himself ragged again. 

Kobra finally stretched out his legs. His breathing was ragged. He looked around, confirming his location was in the Zones, not the city. If he ended up back in their hands, he would lose it. A shiver ran through him, thinking of that possibility. But he was safe for now, and that was more than he could ask for.

\---

The jolts weren't painful, but Kobra knew he was losing his mind. Every time they shocked him, he forgot a bit more of himself. They told him he worked for them, that he was an experiment that had gone rouge. His memories were all implanted so he could infiltrate the Fabulous Four. He was merely a clone of Kobra Kid. But Kobra knew they were lies. They had started pushing this story after the shock therapy began.

Every time they tried to fill his mind with static, he tried to focus on his own thoughts. Shock therapy causes memory lapse, he told himself. They were waiting for him to doubt himself, even for a second. It was a played-out record that was managing to keep him alive. His tired eyes looked around the room. They kept him as sleep-deprived as possible. An inhumane tactic, but effective. He was kept under bright lights that were similar to small suns. Kobra doubted he'd ever been so exhausted in his life.

The chatter of the employees behind glass was driving him mad. He couldn't make out the words, just the sounds of voices speaking rapidly. Whenever they came in, masks on to hide their true identity, he wanted to scream. But if he misbehaved, he was punished with medication and more shocks. They were doing their best to break him, and somehow, he was holding it together. And Better Living didn't like it.

He managed to fall asleep despite their best measures. That was when they moved him. They unstrapped him from the bed and took him to the city limits, drove until there was nothing in view, and left his body out under cover of darkness. There was no way he could survive after everything he'd been through. And if they couldn't use him, his life was just immaterial. One less Killjoy in the Zones to deal with. 

Kobra shifted when he was dropped in the sand. The Draculoids injected him with a sleeping serum. They didn't need him backtracking and getting them in trouble with the Director. But he wasn't worth the money it cost to keep him there. It was a waste on their part, and it'd be easier to mark him as dead. 

\---

When Kobra woke up, he jumped. Then he realized he was in the same safe surroundings. They had an IV in him, giving him much-needed fluids. Doctors looked him over while he begged them for freedom. Any way he could contact his brother, or even Dr. Death Defying. When he was approved to be discharged, Kobra almost cried tears of joy. Battery City had no idea of the storm that was brewing beyond those white walls. His freedom was the start of a change in the rebellion. They had saved the Zones with their choice to free him.

But Better Living was changing, too, in a way that none of the Four could have foreseen. By changing their tactics for breaking prisoners, half of the Zones would be at their disposal. And if Kobra didn't find a way to fix this mess, they would end the rebellion by any means necessary.


	14. On the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kobra doesn't return from the mission panic sets in amongst the fab four. Each struggiling with the idea of Kobra's passing, none harder then his brother. While in mourning the zones are spinning out of control and the 'joy's grip on their home starts to slip. When Better Living pushes harder and further then they have before, can the guys snap out of their own upset in time to fight back? Or will they crumble without their all important fourth member?

Something had gone wrong, Poison just knew it. His brother was an hour behind. This was such a precision operation that even fifteen minutes could spell disaster. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, trying to think of a reason that Kobra hadn't been there. Maybe he had to take a longer route. Or maybe their informant had been late. Or maybe he ran into a patrol and had to throw them off. He exhaled, thinking of the last one. But there was no way. No one on the waves had mentioned sudden movements. It all had to be a grave misunderstanding. Kobra would be fine, wouldn’t he?

He could hear Ghoul and Jet in the back, trying to offer their ideas on why he wasn't there, but it all seemed fuzzy. There was nothing they could say that would comfort him, even if they were like his brothers. He needed to see Kobra's bike pulling up or a hear a transmission from him. Anything else was immaterial. His stomach clenched. 

“We have to go back,” he said finally.

“What?” Ghoul's brow furrowed. “We can't just leave our post. He'll be back soon!”

“We have to. If something happened, he would have gone for the diner. He didn't come back here for a reason. If he's not there, we radio D and put out an alarm. That was the plan we made.” Poison gritted his teeth, hot tears pouring down his cheeks.

Jet watched with sad eyes. He couldn't imagine what Poison was going through. “All right, but we'll come back here every other day to check on him,” he said firmly.

“Agreed,” Poison croaked out. If his brother really had been taken, this was the beginning of the end for them. He couldn't keep this up without Kobra by his side.

Ghoul couldn't stay silent on the drive home. He kept piping up, giving his take on what they'd do when they found Kobra, or where he must be, and how of course he was fine and this was a huge misunderstanding. The silence that filled the car was making him crazy. But nothing he said seemed to help anyone. He leaned back and exhaled, staring up at the roof of the car. His heart thudded in his chest as he argued with his thoughts. There was no way Kobra was gone. His head rolled to one side and he watched the desert with weak eyes. 

Poison kept his mouth shut, the tears still streaming. Anxiety rose in his chest, pulsing out in palpitations. He felt as if the entire world were pressing down on the car. And no matter how fast he drove, he couldn't escape it. He felt like he were dying. By the time they made it to the diner, his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't drive straight. He collapsed into vicious sobs. He didn't have the strength to hold this inside or turn it into violence. He had known from the start that this mission was terrible.

Jet and Ghoul's voices sounded like warped mumbling, like the adults in the old Charlie Brown cartoons. He barely registered Ghoul's hand on his shoulder. His door swung open. His two teammates helped him out of the seat and carried him inside. He trembled as they moved him, curling up tightly. He could feel the pain so vividly that it was hard to believe that anything else could have happened to his brother. Pretty soon the broadcasts would start, claiming his brother was dead or captured or worse. Thoughts of his brother's tortured or dismembered body terrified him. Or worse, if it were delivered to them, left to rot in a body bag. He couldn't pull back before the vomit flew past his lips. Coughing, his head bobbed back and forth, trying to get it all out.

Ghoul weakly watched his friend. He looked up when Revenge came in, then quickly led her away. They didn't need this to be more messed up then it already was. He tried to explain the situation as quickly as he could before rushing back to Poison. Jet was already cleaning up the vomit, while Poison had curled up, sobbing. Ghoul knelt by his side.

“Hey, it's gonna be alright,” he said, trying to convince everyone, including himself. “This stuff happens for a reason, and I know Kobra will pull through. He has to.”

Even if it didn't sound like Ghoul was fully on the board with the idea, Poison nodded, rubbing at his tears. He was shaking, but let out a quiet “I know.” He should have turned this mission away. If he had, then Kobra would be here.

“You can't blame yourself,” Jet said firmly. He could see it on his face. “Not everything that happens in the Zones is your fault, and you sure as hell don't control it.”

Ghoul nodded and lay his hand on Poison's shoulder. “All we can do is keep going, man,” he said. “If we quit and just let this take us down, then it's all been for nothing. And no matter what, Kobra's gonna find his way back here.”

It was hard for Poison not to shrug off Ghoul's hand and fall into hopelessness. That was all he wanted, just to feel terrible and let the waves of agony drag him down.

“You're right,” he finally mumbled. “But I need time, too. He was—is my best friend and I can't—” His voice broke. 

“I know, man, but you're our leader.” Ghoul tried to keep his voice soft, but he could feel the shakiness overtaking it. “You gotta be strong for us, for Kobra—hell, for everyone.”

Poison closed his eyes, second guessing his choices to be a leader, to rebel, everything. It seemed like all he did was get everyone into trouble, and that was something he had to live with. Maybe this was his atonement. No one else could handle all this guilt anyway.

When Poison didn't respond, Jet offered him his hand. “Come on, man,” he said. “We'll help you. We'll get him back.”

Poison looked at his friend's hand and carefully took it, pulling himself up. “I'm gonna call D, let him know what happened, and we'll keep running from there,” he said, his voice thick from tears.

\---

Hope dwindled each day at the diner. They searched everywhere: checking the waves, hacking computers, and talking to anyone they came across. After the first week, they decided not to go out to the meeting place, in case Better Living found out about it. They couldn't risk being taken themselves. Poison carried every burden so much harder than before. He was starting to develop fear for his team, for his girl. Whenever one of them left his sight, he was overpowered by fear that they had been hurt. Hurt for knowing him, hurt for doing what he said.

Jet had tried to talk him out of it, but he knew logic would do no good. Logic itself was the problem. He was looking at everything magnified, trying to see the invisible lines that connected the blame to him. He was so logical it was illogical. He knew too much about the terrors, and now they'd broken him. In his place, Jet was trying to keep everything together: going on late night runs to meet D and Pony, trying to find deals, even trading goods for news of Kobra. He had to know what had become of him. And even if he had been blanked, they would do whatever it took to get him back to himself. Without Kobra, the Fabulous Four would be no more.

But no one seemed to have answers. Every lead fell through, every story dried up. And with each dead end, the hopelessness grew. Poison became so fearful and clingy that no one could get their work done. But when they sat with him, he became upset. There was no way to win—not for him, and not for the rebellion.

Ghoul had taken to fixing things around the diner: little things, big things, whatever it took. He couldn't stand not going out on runs. But when he came back from a run to find their leader mid-panic attack, his arguments had dried up. They were miserable, and worse yet, they were defenseless. They needed something to hold off Better Living, should they get information on them from Kobra or the would-be informant. Ghoul feared the entire thing was a bust, despite D's protests. How could they trust anyone when it seemed the enemy was constantly outsmarting them, constantly evolving to make their plans fall through.

Ghoul set down the toaster he was fiddling with and started to pace, his thoughts running wild. In his opinion, they needed to get Poison to a doctor. But they were avoiding using that term until they had some news on Kobra. It seemed like every time someone brought up something related to Kobra, Poison broke down in tears. Just being in the diner was like walking through a minefield of emotions. He was getting sick of the toll it was taking. 

Poison shifted and looked at the radio. There had to be something he could do to make this nightmare end. But every time he tried something, it backfired. He stood up, only to sit down again when his stomach knotted up. His hands shook until he squeezed them tightly. Tears forming in his eyes, he managed to climb to his feet and storm off to the bathroom. 

He turned on the sink. A faint brown color was mixed with the water, but he splashed it onto his face anyway, hoping it would wake him from this living nightmare. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. Poison fell to the floor, choking out sobs from the horrors he tried to keep inside.

Kobra going missing had magnified all his other fears. If he couldn't keep his little brother safe, how could he rely on anything? The things he told himself would never happen seemed to happen anyway, just to mock him. Even the terrors from his childhood seemed to rear up. The dusky shadowed corners of the diner were too much for him to handle. He felt as if he'd lost his mind, and everyone treating him like some fragile entity wasn't helping. The slow speech and gentle phrasing was how you handled someone who had just had a violent outburst—or was totally mental from the start.

It was like his entire life were a figment of his imagination. He felt like he were having a warped existential crisis, and he had to get out of it. Leaving the water running, he darted from the room like an escaped animal. He didn't know who to turn to. If he listened to the bullshit Ghoul was spouting for another second, it would make it worse. So he went to the only person he could think of. He opened the door to his room and flung himself into her arms without a word.

Normally, he'd never let her see him this way. After all, he was supposed to be keeping her safe. But Poison didn't have it in him right now. He nuzzled against her skin and sighed. His salty tears rubbed off on her skin, but it didn't matter. When she wrapped her arms around him and make gentle comforting noises, he sighed in relief. He had been terrified that she would reject him. He didn't know who he could rely on anymore: maybe his team, his girl, but sure as hell not his own mind.

Finally, he pulled back to look down at her. He brushed his tears away and she managed a weak smile. “Hey, I'm here,” she whispered.

Poison shook his head. “We shouldn't be doing this,” he choked out. “It’s so wrong.”

Making a gentle shushing noise, she hugged him tightly again. “I know you're doing everything you can,” she said.

Poison groaned. “I'm not, though. I should be doing something, fixing something. Finding him!” 

“But you're dealing with a lot of shit,” she protested.

“I've never been like this before, and it's making me sick.” Poison ran his hands though his hair. He was shaking.

“But you're still you, and there's no way Kobra would just—”

“Please don't,” he managed out with a thick sob. “I can't hear about him right now.”

Revenge nodded, unsure if she should continue. “I know you'll be all right. I know things are gonna go back to normal, ‘cause you won't have it any other way.”

Smiling weakly, Poison shook his head. “Perhaps you just have too much faith in me,” he said. “I just need to find him.”

Revenge nodded and rubbed his back. They sat on his bed in silence, holding each other. Occasionally Poison whispered something, some sudden thought that had popped in his head. But rarely did it form into anything else. He just needed to get it out of him. Sometimes airing it out was the best way, if a bit messy. He felt like no one else would understand. They'd take him too seriously or think he was going insane. But having someone hold him made him think that maybe he wasn't going totally nuts.

He spent the night tangled in her arms. Occasionally their lips met for the briefest of moments, before parting into small smiles. Finally, some hope peered into Poison's life, like the sun’s rays breaking the dawn. Maybe if he could be okay, there was a chance his brother was okay. It made him feel like he'd been selfish, so engrossed in his own shit that he wasn't searching for him. But if guilt was a normal reaction to this, it was one he could live with.

\---

When the distress call came in, Poison was holding on by threads. It had been weeks. They had searched all over for any sign. Better Living wasn't taking responsibility, no gloating or announcements. Poison looked over to his teammates and carefully geared up. His anxiety had settled into a way that was tolerable. He had been trying to go on runs and get a sense of normalcy in the diner.

Jet grabbed the car keys. Despite Poison’s control of the situation, they didn't trust him to stay together behind the wheel. Jet enjoyed being able to drive, but the circumstances that loomed over it made him feel ill. He patted Poison's back before they piled inside the Trans Am and drove off toward the signal.

It was a small hub, not more than two dozen people. They had an infirmary and a small market. Small enough that Better Living would go past them unnoticed. If they had drawn in too much income, they would have been shut down in an instant.

Not in the mood for his mask today, Poison relied on a pair of oversized sunglasses. He tried to keep his usual cocky stride going, but he feared that his grief made him transparent. Every move he made felt like a lie, not only to himself, but to his team. But since no one knew what had happened to Kobra, it was easy to pass it off as sickness or stress. Then they would at least be viewed as a unit, working in perfect unison. Poison hoped all this bullshit was working, because it was making him feel sick.

The distress signal had come from the makeshift hospital. The three men headed inside, Ghoul in front, with Poison bringing up the rear. When they saw him, Ghoul did a double take. Kobra was pale and sickly-looking, with vicious burns on his body. His eyes were sunken, as if he'd been exposed to serious radiation. Kobra's eyes met theirs, and he managed a weak smile.

Poison pushed through Jet and Ghoul until he could feel his brother. Shaking, he took Kobra’s face in his hands. Words bubbled up past his trembling lips so quickly that wasn't making sense. Thick sobs broke up the jumbled words. When Kobra hugged him back and started crying, the rest of his worry and grief flooded through him. By someone's grace, his brother was there. He was real, not just a sickening hallucination.

“W-what happened?” Poison said finally.

Kobra grimaced, but told them as much as he could bear. His voice shook, and he had to stop at times when the memories were too fresh, but within thirty minutes he had spilled everything. They all watched him, almost as pale as he was. No one seemed willing to speak up. Jet sat down in an empty chair. He shook his head and sighed.

“Well, shit,” he managed.

“Yeah, that's about how I feel.” Kobra shuddered. “I just wish the memories would go the fuck away.”

“Hey.” Poison took his brother's hand. “We're here for you. We're gonna get you home and take care of all of this.”

Kobra smiled at him slightly. “You guys are too good to me, you know that?”

“You have no idea.” Ghoul smirked and stood, trying to find someone to help get those tubes out of Kobra so they could move him. If he had any idea what had happened without him, he'd never so much as leave the room again.

When they got the clearance and he was wheeled out, it was like the sun had enhanced everything around them. It was a new dawn for them. They would be able to handle the oncoming storm, even if it felt like there was no hope. Against all odds, they had found each other through this hell. And with every passing second, hope found its way back into their hearts.


	15. Adaptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited once more, finding his place back at the diner Kobra begins to cope with what happened in the city. New rules fall into place, stricter ideals, when Posion begins acting oddly everyone becomes alert. A fight is brewing under the hot sun and the killjoys hope to have the intel to be on the winning side. Pushed further and further out, they're running out of options.

Home again. Kobra smiled to himself as he adjusted back to life in the diner. Better Living had gloated over his death on the waves. He couldn't wait to return from the dead and show them how much he had changed. But he still struggled, of course. The nightmares were the worst. More often than not, Poison heard him and crawled into his bed. He was never more grateful to his brother than in those moments. He knew Poison had night terrors and he’d never known how to handle it. But Poison must've known what to do after years of coping with them. Kobra felt a bit guilty for not thinking of it himself.

His muscles had shrunk and grown weak. His body was malnourished and heavily dehydrated. He wasn't even allowed to drink coffee anymore, for fear that he'd get worse. The exhaustion combined with the lack of caffeine had him hitting the mattress harder and harder. His body and mind were sore from the daily runs, though he knew the team was taking on at least half his old workload.

He wasn't up to working as a medic yet. Anything involving health brought him back to that place. Jet had picked up the basics to patch everyone back together, though his hands shook at the thought of giving anyone a shot. Kobra had never realized how much he did around the diner, and now he felt useless. But every time those negative thoughts rose up, he tried to comfort himself, knowing that he was healing. And as long as he kept moving, he was going to get better.

The days became weeks, and before anyone had realized it, two months had passed. People still thought he was dead, and he stayed inside the diner to keep the rumor going. When he came back, he wanted it to be big. He wanted to completely blow whatever Better Living was developing out of the water, make them look like the unprepared fools for once. He smirked at the thought of those monsters running around, not knowing what to do. If there were any sense of karma in the zones, he hoped he'd be the one to inflict it.

Poison came in with his arms full of paperwork. Never a good sign, it usually led to him poring over maps with half-empty cups of coffee for days, before they had to physically restrain him and force him to get some rest. Kobra stood up as he spread out maps and scraps of paper on a table.

“What did you find?” Kobra said softly.

“Something beautiful.” Poison looked up, his face lit up the way it always did when he had discovered something big.

Kobra looked over the papers and arched a brow. “A training ground?” He jabbed at the marked spot.

“Exactly,” Poison said. “Now we can get some feedback on what goes on, and maybe bring the entire operation down.” If Better Living were evolving, the Killjoys needed more than Kobra’s drugged memories.

“Seems risky,” Kobra said, shuddering at the idea of Better Living using live targets.

“War is risky,” Poison mumbled. “Plus, I'll be running this one myself.”

Kobra jumped. “What?” he said. “You can’t!”

“Oh, yes, I can,” he said. “This intel is priceless and I'm not letting anyone stick their neck out for it but me.” He had already decided this days ago.

“No, not gonna happen, no way.” Kobra put his hand on his hip. “You're going to drain your energy and then expect to do this? You'll be killed!”

“No, I won't,” he said smoothly.

“And what makes you think it'll be so easy? That things will go according to plan?”

Poison paused, looking his brother in the eye. “Because I'm Party fuckin' Poison, and I don't need to follow a plan.”

Kobra snorted. “That'd be good for D's show, but it's not going to fly by me,” he said. “I just got back, and you're going to risk us being torn apart again.”

“I guess I am.” Poison frowned. “But we've spent too much time holed up here, clinging to the idea that we'll be safe. Better Living is taking advantage of it.” Pulling out a map, he indicated a few circles he'd drawn. “There are Drac camps popping up in Three and Four. Nearly all of Two is under their command, and they're trying to spread their reach. We just have to do this.”

Kobra opened his mouth to argue. But he remembered how he’d felt when it came to his mission. He had to do it. And if something terrible happened, they'd deal with it. “All right, man, but you have to get some rest in.”

Poison nodded. “Fair enough,” he mumbled before bending over his notes and maps, trying to keep the momentum going. By the time he had looked up from his intel, it was pitch black outside.

Yawning, Poison washed himself up the best he could in the bathroom, then headed for his room. He frowned to find Revenge sitting up, waiting for him. “What are you doing up?” he whispered.

“Where are you going?” she said.

“I just have a solo mission I gotta take care of.” He frowned, stripping off his jacket. “It'll be in a few days and I'll be gone a bit.”

“And why do I have to hear it from Ghoul?” she sneered.

Taken back by her attitude, Poison glared. “Don't be selfish, Revenge,” he said. “I have an entire war to run. I can't tell you everything I'm doing. And why is Ghoul telling you anything?”

“We talk,” she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “Like I thought you and me did.”

“We do, when you're not acting like a spoiled child,” he said.

“Excuse me?” she said. “I'm sorry I expected basic communication.” She stumbled out of bed.

“Well, if you're acting like you need to be babied all the time, I'm going to assume you're a child, Revenge! I've had a long day, now can we just get in bed and drop it?”

“Why should I?” she snarled and stormed out.

Poison groaned and jogged after her. “You can't go running around the Zones in shorts and a bra!” he called after her. He ran outside until he found her. “Revenge, let's go back inside, now.”

“Piss off.”

“Revenge, this is my goddamned diner, and my goddamned team. I’m giving orders because it's what's best for all of us!”

“Yeah, like going on a suicide mission because you feel guilty your brother got fucked up.” She shot him a look. “Trying to get captured and go through the same thing so you'd be even?”

“What are you talking about?” he said. “This intelligence is important!”

“Is it? Why can't you send someone else to go and do it?” She crossed her arms and turned to face him.

“Because we need the intel!” he said. “I don't trust anyone else to do it. I need to carry my own damn weight, it's my tip, my mission!” 

“Well, I don't think you should throw away your life so easily!”

“What life, Revenge?” he said. “Sitting in the diner doing nothing? People are dying out here! This—this isn't living! This is cowering! Unless I do something with it, my life doesn't matter!”

“That's not true!” Revenge cried out. It was only then that she realized that she was crying. “You matter to me, to your brother, to your team! Doesn't that matter? Don't we matter at all to you? Or are we just disposable in your quest for change?”

“The guys know why I have to—”

“Yet everyone is concerned, we're concerned about you! I'm not saying you should sit on your ass and do nothing! I'm saying, don't throw away everything so easily!”

Poison walked over to her with his arms outstretched. He carefully took her face in his hands. “Of course you matter, Revenge,” he said, the weight of his words kicking him in the gut. “I never meant to act like you didn't.” She pulled away slightly, but he pulled her in tighter. “Don't run away from me.”

“I'm not, you're the one leaving me,” she choked out, shaking from the cold.

“I have to leave, but hell would have to rise up and drag me down to keep me from doing everything I could to come back,” he said. “I have to make the world safe again, for you, for us.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as they flushed. “You've been doing this long before you met me,” she protested.

Poison nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. “Yes, but you make me want it all the more.” His hands dropped down to her waist. “I wouldn't throw away a life that I got to share with you. I love you, Revenge.” Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Oh, Poison!” she cried, wrapping herself up in him. She shook weakly against him. “I love you, too,” she choked out with a tiny hiccup.

He rubbed back and shushed her, pressing kisses along her hairline. “I forget how hard some of this must be on you, and I don't always have explanations,” he said. “But don't think I'd ever throw you aside.”

Revenge buried her face in his neck. “I just don't want to lose you,” she said.

“I know baby, I know. I'd never want to lose you either. It's why I always gotta come back for you.” Poison sighed. “Can we please go back to the diner now?” he said, worried about being out in the open without any way to defend themselves.

Revenge sniffed and nodded, keeping an arm around him while they walked back to the diner. Her bare feet sunk into the sand. It wasn't a quick walk by any means, but it was a much-needed one, with only the occasional sounds of her sniffing and their feet shifting in the sand. It helped in a lot of ways. Everything had gotten too dark, too fast. No one had had time to process anything, even though it'd been months since Kobra disappeared.

They leaned against the diner wall. His hands tangled in her hair, while her hands sought his neck. As he kissed her, it dawned on him how little he'd seen of her. Between working and caring for his brother, maybe he had been absent. Maybe he did make some mistakes with her. But instead of feeling guilt, resolve formed a fire in his gut. His kisses grew more passionate and needy. His hands cupped her face, thumbs rubbing tiny circles on either side of her lips. When he pulled away, flushed and panting, all he could do was shake his head and lead her inside. He may have had a war to run, but he never wanted to lose sight of why he was fighting.

\---

Poison announced that he wouldn't be able to go on the run. After finding out that everyone in the diner objected to the idea of him going out and running alone, he had contacted Dr. Death with his findings. From there, he told the truth: they were in no place to manage this on their own. Dr. Death would have to find someone else for the job while they handled some patrol and supply runs throughout Zone Four.

Ghoul volunteered for patrol along with Jet. Grabbing an extra mug of coffee, he was practically bouncing off the walls while he waited for Jet to gear up. Ghoul was more than happy to drive the Trans Am. He had been working on her for weeks now, making sure that she was in top condition. It was only fitting he would get to take her out and show her off. He nearly hollered when the pair of them drove off, seeking the rays of the sun and a good fight.

It didn't take long for them to be flanked by the typical white cars. Ghoul didn't wait a second. He blew a tire off the car to his left, laughing at the Dracs. Jet tried to keep cool, shooting at their enemy’s masks. With a well-timed shot, he managed to hit the driver in the head before shooting out the tires. When it was over, they high-fived, their hearts racing with excitement. They had made a decent dent in their pent-up frustration. But there were always more Dracs to take out, and it seemed that Better Living had more than enough targets willing to take them on.

When they drove past a few stranded ‘Joys, Ghoul did his best to whip them up into excitement, while Jet helped them with a bit of extra gas. Two girls and a boy, all wanting hugs from both of them. One of the girls asked Ghoul for his autograph. Not really knowing what to do, he doodled his signature Frankenstein smile, laughing when he passed the paper over to Jet. 

After seeing the kids off, Jet took the wheel, with Ghoul more than happy to take over defense. “I can't wait to see a bunch of those suckers,” he laughed, twirling his gun.

“Having a bit too much fun, Ghoulie?” Jet said.

“Hell yes I am, and I fucking deserve it. I've been tired of being trapped. I gotta be free, man!” He hooted for emphasis.

“I gotta admit, I did miss the Zones,” Jet said. “I've been thinking of doing more running to D.”

“We both should, man,” Ghoul said. “I mean, the brothers are doing so much better and we need to get out.”

Jet grimaced. “You haven't done enough solo missions with D. That shit gets crazy.” He laughed, but the memories still stung.

“Nah, man, don't worry. After all, I am a professional.” He tipped his mask down a bit.

“You'd be surprised,” Jet murmured, his eyes zoning out on the road.

“Why, you got a good story for me?” Ghoul smirked. “You holding out on me, hair boy?”

“Ooh, hair boy, that one's original.” Jet rolled his eyes with a gentle laugh.

Ghoul laughed. “You're avoiding the question.”

“No, I'm just choosing not to answer it.” Jet smiled, glancing at Ghoul. “It's nothing worth hearing. I just almost got dusted.”

That snapped Ghoul out of his haze. “Seriously, dude?” he said. “Why didn't you tell us?”

“It was already over with, and I didn't want you guys worrying about something that didn't happen.” He sighed. “This was the exact reaction I wanted to avoid.”

“No, I'm not worrying!” Ghoul jumped up in his seat. “I just wanna hear the story, and I'm wondering what took you so long.”

Jet shrugged. “Well, it was a direct run,” he said. “D needed me to pick up some parts for the station. It was when his signal got weak as shit and he didn't know what was wrong with it. Anyway, I drive down to Tommy's and there's these burly biker dudes, could tell they wouldn't be fun to hang around. So while I'm trying to work Tommy down on the prices, these guys try to stick me up! And there's like five of them, so Tommy pulls the old shotgun out from the table, and everyone's arguing. One of ‘em puts a gun to my head, tries to get me execution style, but the idiot seemed to forget I could kick him in the balls” 

Ghoul burst out laughing. “Real braniac you're against there.”

“I know,” Jet said. “Anyway, so his mates start freaking out and everyone's shooting. I think I pegged two of em in the legs, but they ran away with their tails between their legs and tried to fuck with the car. Luckily, Tommy gave me the price I wanted, and by the time they had popped the hood, I was right there. I swear they lost all the color in their faces and ran off. It was hilarious.”

“Damn, I wish I was there,” Ghoul said. “I wouldn't have minded getting all kung fu on their asses.” He struck a pose, making Jet laugh harder.

“Let's leave hand-to-hand combat to Kobra, yeah?” Jet grinned. “I wouldn't want to trip over you trying to kick someone in the shin.”

Ghoul fake-pouted and nudged him. “Just means I'm closer to hell, beanpole.”

“Oh boy, am I scared,” Jet said. “Maybe you'd manage to kick me in the toes. Whatever will I do?”

They headed for the Zone line. It wasn't clear, even on the maps. All the landmarks looked the same. But people had made something of an outline using rocks, so other ‘Joys wouldn't get lost. If you headed too far east or west, you could hit patches of toxic gas. The radiation was much too thick, and it came on instantly. Sometimes it was difficult even with gas masks. You were better off following the rudimentary outlines set by those before you.

In this particular area, a few skeletons and decaying bodies hung from makeshift gallows. Most of them wore the worn white uniform of Draculoids, a threat to any entering this territory. Something about it reminded Ghoul of a pirate movie. A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of Better Living deciding to take hints from whoever thought this would solve their problem.

Once the car was parked, they hopped out, making sure their location couldn't be seen from any side. The back was more exposed then they'd care for, but it made a quick escape route. Jet offered to watch their backs. He reclined on the back of the Trans Am with two guns in his hands. If anyone tried to jump them, they'd been in for a rude surprise. 

While waiting, Ghoul popped the hood of the car to see if everything was holding up all right. Sometimes he had to use duct tape to keep this baby running. The cost of repairs, especially going through Tommy Chow Mein, could be sky high. But that was what he put most of his money toward. Not only did the car keep them in business, she was his baby. After all, he was the one who found her in an old abandoned warehouse when they first became Killjoys.

Sitting on cinder blocks, she had been stripped of her paint and most of her parts. But right away, Ghoul had seen potential. He had gone back to that warehouse whenever he could, piecing together parts from abandoned cars that had broken down in the sand. It had been a huge pain in the ass, but no one could say that he didn't build her up with his own two hands. Ghoul could even remember the first time he drove her: the way she purred to life, before Poison painted her up and she became their baby. A symbol of the revolution, as he liked to say.

Luckily, most of her parts were running at peak efficiency. He slammed the hood down with a small grunt. He ran his hands over the heated hood with a smile, proud of how far she'd come.

Looking over his shoulder, he noticed a car moving slowly. He could see the gleaming paint from here. Definitely a Better Living vehicle. He ducked inside the car and jotted down the time on a scrap of paper. As much as he wanted to engage, they needed to update their intel on how Drac rounds were timed. That way, they could have easier supply runs, and if they needed to, a quicker escape route that didn't end in a firefight.

He exhaled with a huff, blowing his hair up and out of his eyes. He watched the gleaming car coast past the rocky ridge and out of sight. He carefully eased himself out of the car to peek over the rocks, making sure they were out of sight. Seeing the Dracs out this far had confirmed some of their fears. Better Living’s hand was reaching out further and further, and he was sure they were trying to exterminate any ‘Joys who were foolish enough to pop out of the shadows.

Once he was sure that they weren't turning back, he crept back down the rocks and jumped into the sand, enjoying the slight crunch under his feet. He licked his lips to keep them from drying out and slipped on his sunglasses. The vinyl of his mask was making his face sweaty. He untied his bandana to wipe some of the sweat and dirt off his face. He normally didn't mind being dirty, but this was the kind of messy where he felt slimy, even on the inside.

Tying his bandana back around his neck, he glanced over at Jet. Ghoul snorted a bit. It looked like he was working on his tan. He'd even slipped off his jacket, which wasn’t a bad idea. But Ghoul had the feeling that if he removed any clothes, he would come back burnt brighter then Poison's hair. Snickering at the thought, he turned his attention back to the other side of the rocks, waiting for the next patrol.

It wasn’t even two hours before the next patrol ran, then the next. They seemed to pass every hour and forty-five minutes. A perfect schedule to know when to avoid, or better yet, when to strike. When the sun began to set, he called for Jet. Ghoul took the driver’s seat. He was anxious to get back. But per Poison's instructions, he took the long way home. There were lots of twists and turns and dead ends, to throw off anyone who might have seen them and tried to follow.


	16. Dangerous Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With an impending attack on the Draculoids threatening their freedom, the four are orced to take on new allies, with clashing egos. Despite the smooth road Kobra was hoping for, he brought in headstrong and firey Timid Bruiser, a hunter and animal trapper he'd buy meat from. With new skin comes new blood, and with new blood comes scars.

Kobra and Poison returned a few hours after Ghoul and Jet with armfuls of food. Luckily, they had been able to arrange a pick-up with Dr. D and Show Pony. They were both running low on supplies, so this was the easiest way. They could transport pallets of food in the van, instead of just throwing a bunch of dented cans in the trunk of the Trans Am. The brothers were both surprised and relieved to see that their teammates had beaten them home. Since everything seemed so confusing, even with all the new information they’d gotten, it was hard not to take a more depressing view. After all, that seemed to be their luck lately.

Poison slammed the canned food into the lower kitchen cupboards, grumbling. The cheap plywood was hanging off the hinges, another thing to fix. Most of the diner was out-of-date. If it wasn’t cracked tiles, it was the seat cushions ripping, making the booths nearly impossible to sit in. He had been so concerned with everything else going on that taking time to fix up the base was the last thing on his mind. He made a mental note to start fixing it up. Maybe Tommy could find replacements for the booths, thought he doubted it. They’d probably have to lift booth cushions out of an abandoned diner. 

He barely registered his brother leaning over his shoulder, stacking the cans next to him. He filled the shelves as quickly as he could. It didn’t have to be perfect, just neat enough that they wouldn’t come falling out every time the doors opened. Like when Ghoul tried to stack them.

Poison fell back on his butt, his palms splayed out on the tile beneath him. He glanced up at his brother and managed a smile. “Looks like we got even more work to do,” he said.

Kobra grimaced. “I could stand to do more cleaning,” he said. He was healing up and couldn’t stand the way the diner looked.

“Be my guest,” Poison said. “Teach Revenge how to do it, while you’re at it. We could use an extra pair of hands around here.” He chuckled at the thought of her trying to clean.

Kobra used his bandana to dust the coffee machine. “So this is gonna be another one of your projects, then?”

“I never have enough.” Poison laughed. “Or at least that seems to be how the world wants it to be anymore.” He groaned and lay on his back.

Kobra chuckled. “You’re going to work yourself to death.”

“Eh, saves Better Living the trouble, then. Just let me do myself in.” He groaned and made an exaggerated dying noise.

Kobra laughed. “They’d probably be more upset they didn’t get to make a spectacle of you,” he said, nudging Poison with his boot. 

Poison swatted back. “Or maybe you guys will be the death of me before anyone else can take a crack at me,” he said. He hoisted himself up and scratched at his filthy hair. “Is Ghoul still in the shower?”

“I think so,” Kobra said. “It’s not like him to take this long. Must’ve been hellish.”

Poison headed out to the dining tables. He glanced at the data and swore. “I can’t believe they’ve already reached this far,” he said. “I mean, I was worried, but—”

“Well, what are we going to do about it?” Kobra leaned on one of the tables, looking over Poison’s shoulder.

“We can call D and launch a counterattack along the border,” Poison said. “It’s a risky move. We could get a bunch of young ‘Joys, untrained ones.” Then he grimaced at the thought of a kid’s death on his orders.

“Or we could get some experienced fighters who’ve made it out here this long,” Kobra said. “We could really beat them, if we assemble at the right time—”

“That’s a big if,” Poison said. “But it’s better than doing nothing, sitting here and debating this shit.”

“I got an idea of a ‘Joy who can help, but it might take some bribing,” Kobra said carefully.

Poison arched a brow. “What kind of ‘Joy is he?”

“She,” Kobra corrected. “She tends to stick to hunting and gathering, but she can hold her own in the worst of times. I can go pick her up and we can have a powwow.”

Poison paused to think it over. Finally, he nodded. “What do we have to lose?” he said.

\---

The short girl didn’t look like much in Poison’s eyes. But she had fierce eyes and a tough exterior. She didn’t say much to Poison; she just seemed to be sizing him up. He arched a brow and turned to Kobra. He had to be joking.

“I buy lizard meat off her,” Kobra said. “She’s great at hunting them down, and I’ve seen her barter like no one’s business.”

Out here, bartering usually meant arguing, threatening, and sometimes fighting. Poison nodded. “I’m impressed,” he said.

“You shouldn’t be,” the girl said curtly. “I’m just like everyone else out here. I know how to survive.” She didn’t care if he was the big boss of the Zones. She would stand her ground against a raging bull, and she’d heard enough stories about the “infamous” Party Poison to know he had a temper.

Poison smirked. “Where’s she staying, then? ‘Cause it isn’t under my goddamned roof.”

“I don’t need you to look after me, anyway,” she said. “I know how to camp.”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down.” Kobra stepped between the two. “We’re happy to have you stay here, Timid. I’ll see if I can clear a room. If not, we’ll set up a bed out here in the booths.” He shot his brother a look and shook his head. 

Poison frowned at his brother’s words, but didn’t protest. If someone was going to try to start shit, he’d send it right back. But they did need backup, especially if they were planning an all-out war against Better Living. He shook his head and headed for his room. He’d had enough of being the leader for today.

Timid looked at Kobra. “What?” she said, frowning.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just let me get Jet. He’s going to be the one training you.”

Kobra darted into the back of the diner and pulled Jet out of his room. When they returned to Timid, Jet whispered something low to Kobra and shook his head. Then he offered his hand to her. “Jet Star, pleased to meet you.”

She shook his head. “Timid Bruiser, you can call me Tim.”

“All right, so I’ll be covering basic firing range work,” he said. “Some one-on-one fighting, but that’s more Kobra’s thing.” Jet elbowed his friend for good measure. “We can go over basic survival if you—”

“I think I have that covered,” she said with a slight smile.

“Well, then, that’s taken care of. Makes my life much easier.” He laughed and shook his head. “Anything helps.”

“What time will training start?” Timid said, wanting to stick to the reason she was here.

“We can do some practice right now if you’re up for it,” he said. “We’re in by sundown unless we have a run to handle. Diner rules.”

“I’ll set up your bedding,” Kobra said gently. “That way, once you’re done getting annoyed by Curly here, you can relax.” Jet shoved him playfully.

“Who do I pay for food, then?” she said. 

“If you run with us, we’ll take it out of your payment,” Jet said. “We mostly have Pup, but if you bring in more meat, we’ll pay you for it. We have coffee—it’s shit, but it’s coffee.”

Her eyes widened. “Coffee? Like real coffee?”

“Yeah, one of the perks of working closely with Dr. D,” Kobra said. “We can get you some now if you want some.”

“Oh, hell yes I do!” she chirped, following them to the kitchen. There it sat, the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen: a coffee machine. She hadn’t seen one since she’d left the city. She almost cried when Kobra handed her a mug. 

“Drink up.” Kobra beamed, glad to have another person as into coffee as he was.

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She tilted her head back, making sure she caught every drop.

Jet laughed. “You’re gonna get along great with Ghoul,” he said. “Well, if you’re not fighting him for the last cup.” He folded his arms and leaned against the counter. “We try to get biweekly runs, so we tend to be a bit low, but we almost always have enough backed up. The Pup, on the other hand—”

“We tend to run low,” Kobra said with a sigh. “So whatever you catch, we really could use the meat.”

She finally looked up from her second cup. “I have no problem getting game,” she said. “As long as you keep me stocked with this stuff.” She grinned and inhaled the scent. 

“Sounds good,” Kobra said. “And as for my brother, well—he grows on you. He’s just under a lot of stress now. Well, all the time. But right now, he’s just in a bad mood.” He felt like he had to defend his brother’s moodiness. Usually he would anyway, but Kobra felt like he owed him.

“As long as he doesn’t step on my toes, I’ll stay out of his way,” she said before going for her third cup.

“So what do I need to know, then, considering I’ll be working with you?” Jet said. He could do without the drama. It was the last thing they needed here.

“As long as you treat me how you want to be treated, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Timid said. “If I’m constantly feeling attacked, expect the same. I’m no one’s doormat.”

Kobra was quiet for a few moments. Everyone out here had a story. And there was never a good time to ask.

“Why don’t you go ahead and work with that energy, and I’ll set up?” he said. It was all he could think of to end the silence.

Timid nodded, placing the mug on the counter before heading outside. Jet showed her the ridge where they did most of their shooting. Sometimes it was cans or bottles, other times it was discarded clothing they found. Anything that would make a small target. He wanted to see how she worked, so he allowed her to shoot freely. He stood back, carefully observing her stance and the little movements her body made when she fired.

She actually made quite a few shots. But that was her problem. She could easily shoot a still target, but the way she hunkered her boots down would make it almost impossible to evade shots in a firefight. “Try running and hitting them,” Jet called.

Sure enough, when she took off back and forth, she didn’t make a single shot. “Fuck!” she cried out. She slipped down into the sands, blasting the nearest target over and over in anger. 

“You hold yourself too tightly,” Jet said. He walked over and held her in the position she was in. “If I were attacked you, all I’d have to do is—” He swiped his foot up, knocking her off balance and into the sand. “That.”

“Well you didn’t have to actually do it!” She snapped in a huff, blowing her bangs out of her face. “Coulda just said so!”

“If we’re in battle, they won’t be saying anything.” He knelt down to her, leaning his weight on her so she couldn’t wriggle away. “Fighting with us isn’t like fighting anywhere else. They’re going to gun for you with all their might, to either end you or take you. Find out what they can about you.”

“I’m not stupid,” she fussed under him.

“No, and that’s the problem. They’re going to exploit that and try to corner you. You gotta remember how much they hate us. And I gotta show you what to expect. In the heat of the moment, it’s so easy to freeze up. I promise you they won’t have that issue. They’ll do everything they can to bring you down.”

Her eyes widened for a second before she elbowed him in the thigh. He fell to her side. She pinned him down, panting. “Will they monologue the way you do, too?” she said. For a second, she was worried that she’d gone too far. But he burst out laughing.

“Good use of my bullshit.” He pushed her off easily, getting to his feet. “If you keep that up, you might just survive running with us, Tim.” He winked at her and shook his head, trying to shake out the sand.

Timid laughed as she climbed to her feet. “So what do I gotta do to make sure I get better shots?” she said.

They went over different scenarios and held practice run after practice run. By the time the sun went down, she could hit at least two targets every time. It was better, but nowhere near enough. Timid was already exhausted. She hadn’t thought that training would require this much running. The stories about the Fabulous Four involved them blasting away from their car, taking down Draculoids left and right. Of course, you’d have to train to be that good, but this was like professional athlete-level. Then again, that was why they were known as the best of the best.

After slumping back to the diner, she nearly fell into the pile of blankets left out in one of the booths for her. It was one of the half-circle booths, so she had plenty of room to stretch out as she needed. Timid twisted and turned in all sorts of positions, letting out happy sighs. Coffee and a soft bed to sleep in? This was way better than the pile of old hunting gear she had in that cabin.

\---

Poison was still frustrated with that newcomer when he slipped out of the bathroom. He decided to take one of his rare showers. It took a while, but he felt like he’d earned it after dealing with Miss Mouthy.

Poison went straight to his room. He smiled when he saw his girlfriend with a book in her hand. “Practicing?” he said, sitting next to her.

Revenge blinked and looked up. “It’s a lot harder than it looks,” she said. She frowned at the children’s book.

“C’mere,” he whispered. He draped himself around her, carefully going over every word until she said that she understood. He knew she was just saying that at times, but he couldn’t force her. He pressed a kiss to her hairline, his hand rubbing down her arm. He’d promised ages ago that he’d help her learn to read. And he tried to hold true to his word.

Finally, Revenge put down the book and leaned back against him. “I’m never going to get this right,” she groaned and buried her face into his shoulder.

“Hey none of that,” he whispered, tucking her head under his chin. “You’re doing so well. You’re getting it.” It wasn’t like they had any other choice. Her illiteracy put them all at risk if she ever had to take the CB.

Revenge scoffed and shook her head again. She knew what they thought of her: she was just an idiot who hung around and mooched off them. “I don’t feel like I am,” she mumbled.

Letting out a happy noise, her rubbed her arms. “I’m proud of you,” he said. “I know how hard it is.” And he was, even if she didn’t believe him. It was an extra stress they didn’t need, but she was still taking steps to fix it. That counted for more than she could ever know. “Come here, let’s try to get some rest.”

Revenge grumbled and stripped down to her shorts, crawling into bed next to him. She preferred to wear fewer clothes to be closer to him. Whenever she felt too distant from him was when her nightmares got bad. He wrapped himself around her, littering her skin with quick kisses. He never told her this, but having her close kept his nightmares away, too. But she didn’t need to carry more of his burdens. Poison’s lids felt heavy. He kept his eyes on hers as he sank into sleep.

\---

Timid was practically bouncing around from excitement, and a bit too much coffee first thing in the morning. Jet had woken her to get her ready for training. It wasn’t too bad—just more shooting, maybe some basic exercises to make sure her response time stayed up. She was stoked to start improving her rounds. Maybe if she did well, it would improve her life when she went back home.

She looked around the diner. It was so much bigger, so open with all these windows. Her home was nothing compared to this: just a shack completely shut in from the inside. She sighed and inhaled the scent of her coffee before finishing it off. The warmth tickled her nose. She couldn’t stop smiling, though the idea of bumping into Poison made her face droop a bit. Yesterday was too tense for her liking, but she kept telling herself not to back down.

“You ready?” Jet called, breaking her train of thought.

“Beyond,” she said. “I’ve been excited about this all night.” She smiled, letting her guard down a bit. He was a good guy, or at least acted like one. And if this was going to be her team, she needed friends.

“Good, ‘cause I’m gonna put you through the ringer today,” he said. He laughed, heading outside with her. The sand was still cool from the previous night. “Let’s start by doing some stretches?” he offered.

Timid’s brows met in confusion. “Why?” she said. “We wouldn’t have time to do them before an attack.”

“Yeah but that doesn’t mean we can’t take care of ourselves now, make sure we don’t get hurt. Then if we get in a fight, its one less thing to worry about.” He raised his hands above his head, linking them to stretch out his back. “You should stretch every morning anyway.”

“Really?” she scoffed. “Are you that into exercising?” She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I am,” he said, doing a series of simple stretches. “I can’t afford a leg cramp to slow me down.”

Biting her lip for a second, Timid slowly joined him. When they stopped, she exhaled. She hadn’t been exercising like this for a while, so it took more out of her then she expected. “Now what?” she said.

“We practice.” He smiled at her, grabbing his gun for a quick draw. Keeping his hand on top of his gun helped steady it to some degree. He shot out all but one of the targets as fast as he could.

“Holy shit,” she mumbled as he started setting the targets back up for her. “How did you get so good?”

“Practice.” He laughed at the look on her face.

She frowned, crossing her arms. But she ran like she did yesterday, her muscles still sore. She managed to hit two of the targets, but it was still nowhere near where she wanted to be. Even after hours of practice, and the added assistance of Ghoul and Kobra, she hadn’t improved. She was tired, dirty, and fed up. Throwing her hands in the air, Timid stomped around in circles.

“Why is this so hard?” she growled.

“You’re thinking about it too much,” Ghoul called, cupping his hands around his mouth. “You have to just do it over and over again until your brain turns to mush.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” Timid snapped.

“Keep going!” Kobra called. “I promise it’ll get easier!” He could see small improvements that she may not have noticed. Tilting her arm, keeping herself lower to the ground.

Timid shook her head. “Come on and help me, then!” she begged. She felt like she were doing everything wrong.

“We can’t.” Ghoul laughed. “You have to do it yourself, unless you want us to chase and shoot at you.”

“Maybe it’d let me get my frustration out.” She laughed and went back to her runs. Her legs and arms were screaming as she moved, ready to collapse.

But Jet wouldn’t allow her to. He kept pushing her, yelling orders and formation. The best way for her to remember it all was in the heat of the moment, so hopefully it would kick in as second nature. “You got this!” he cheered as she slid in the sands, shooting and hitting a third target. “Great job!”

“Finally!” Tim cried out and collapsed in the sand.

Jet headed over and scooped her up, slapping her back. “I told you there’s a method to this madness,” he said.

“Now, how many times do I have to do this, days-wise?” she said.

“Until we’re ready for the attack. We’re going to try to amass more ‘Joys before we do, though, so you got plenty of time to get this down.” He patted her back again taking a few simple shots himself.

Timid groaned louder, but watching him calmed her down a bit. She started stretching between sessions. They were right: it did help with the pain a little. She sought their advice in everything, and was exhausted when the sun finally sank behind the horizon. She was ready for a long rest. If this was training, how tough would the actual fight be?


	17. Girls and their Curls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The excitement of a battle plan and overshadowed by the headbutting with the newest add. While she dreams of taking on missions and helping save the zones, she's faced with loads of training. Not really her idea of a good time, practice, headbutting with the other members has already put her butt on the line. Will this newest addition stick around long?

Poison was excited to lead this stand against Better Living. So far, only Timid had moved in, but Dr. D was working on getting more and more ‘Joys into training. They all needed to be in excellent shape for this. If they could keep Better Living from advancing their hold on the desert, they could start pushing back. Maybe even get to the point that the ‘Joys could break into the city. Destroy the fake lives that Better Living forced on the citizens and offer them a new life. One where capital punishment wasn’t the default and where people could express themselves without fear of imprisonment. Poison smiled at the thought.

But that dream was far away. Right now, they had to manage their troops and carry out this final battle. He lurked over his maps with the radio on, hoping that D would call with updated information. Scraps of paper were pinned to the maps—little notes, changes. It was one of the ways he was good at contributing. That and his intuition were legendary, as well as his paranoia. Once he let D drug test him behind everyone’s backs, worried that the city had been secretly feeding him pills. When the test came back clean, he felt better.

Most of his paranoia came from stories of trouble on the waves. So many people had been destroying their gangs from the inside out, and no one knew why. The thought of Dracs working undercover had crossed his mind, but these were people they’d known for years. It wasn’t like the Dracs were stealing faces. But at this point, he wouldn’t put anything past Better Living.

He leaned back and looked over his work, his eyes tracing the notes as if the answer would suddenly appear. But instead he shook his head and stood up. He felt like he had been isolating himself from his team again. He had been avoiding the new girl to a point. But right now, that was something he couldn’t afford. They all had to get along, even if he didn’t care for someone’s attitude.

He peeked in the dining area. Everyone was hunched over tables except Jet and Timid, who were covered in dust and laying in the middle of the floor. The mood of the diner was relaxed. But the look Timid gave him reminded him why he was being strict. Insubordination was toxic out here, especially when they were involved with a major plot. 

“Wipe that look off your face,” he barked.

Timid sat up. “Make me,” she said.

He smirked. But when Revenge came out, his eyes softened. “Just go do your work,” he mumbled.

“Who the fuck is this, then?” Timid snapped.

Revenge looked over, coffee in his hand. “I’m Revenge,” she said.

“And what does she do?” She looked at Poison and started laughing. “Oh my God, she sucks your cock. You have a fucking hooker.”

“I’m not a hooker,” Revenge said. She frowned and walked over to Poison, who wrapped his arm around her.

“You’ll be respectful of everyone in this diner,” he said to Timid.

Timid was still laughing. “So I rank below the cocksucker?” she said. “Yeah, right.”

Poison turned to Jet. “Keep your trainee in line,” he said.

“Tim, it’s not worth it,” Jet said.

“Oh, brother. What’s Redhead McGee gonna do over here? Throw a fit at me?”

“No, I’ll kick you out,” Poison said.

“Right,” she said.

She turned and went to the small room in the back that was now hers. So much for a decent day. She worked so hard, and Revenge was allowed to lounge around the diner. It wasn’t fair! She stretched out her legs and looked up at the ceiling, trying to find a comfortable spot. She was working so hard, and the only one who really seemed to notice was Jet. Now he was probably mad at her, too. She scoffed. This was all a dumb idea.

\---

Revenge walked off in a huff. Poison followed with a warning look to everyone else.

“Baby,” he whispered and grabbed her shoulders. “I won’t let anyone talk to you like that again.” He pressed a kiss to her skin.

“She better not again,” Revenge snarled. “I do plenty.”

“I know, hon. She just got here and she doesn’t know you.” He turned her in his arms. “Can I get a smile, hmm?”

She broke her stony face and smiled. “You’re cute,” she said. She wrapped her arms around him.

He smirked. “You are good at sucking cock, though.”

She shoved him playfully and laughed. “Jesus, clean up that mind, will you?” she said.

“Never,” said, laughing. “I’m too into you.”

Revenge laughed and headed to go make some fresh coffee. Jet frowned in her direction. Timid had a point. Everyone worked their butt off, except her. All she did was sit around and eat their food. He headed for Poison’s room, leaning against the doorframe.

“Timid’s right, you know,” Jet mumbled, unable to look at his friend.

Poison put down the paper he was working on. “And what do you mean by that?”

“Revenge isn’t working,” Jet said. “We’re prepping for this battle and she’s floating around here. She needs to contribute.”

“She does plenty,” Poison said and went back to his papers. “Let me worry about her.”

“And if something happens to you in this fight? What are we supposed to do then? She needs a backup plan.”

“She can go back to dancing and get her shit together,” Poison said. “I don’t know. All I know is right now is not the time.”

“What, do you think she’s going to leave if you call her out on her bullshit?” Jet said. “We need help.”

Poison slammed his hands down on his desk. “I said she does enough!” he said. “Just let me handle this right now.”

“You’re not acting like yourself, man,” Jet said. “You’re gonna end up shooting yourself in the foot with this one. Girls like her stick around as long as they’re on top. The second things fall apart, do you think she’ll be here?”

“I do,” Poison said firmly.

“Why’s that?” Jet’s voice grew dark.

“She’s been here when we couldn’t find my brother,” Poison said. “She supported me then, she’ll support me now!” He snapped at the end, making it clear this conversation was over.

Jet headed off and went to check on Timid. When he found her crying, his face fell. “Hey, there’s no need for that,” he whispered, shutting the door behind him.

“What’s the point, Jet?” she cried out. “I’m trying so hard, no one cares.”

“We care,” Jet said. “There’s just so much going on, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate your progress.” He knelt down beside her bed.

Timid brushed off the tears. “I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” she said. “I know I play tough, but I’m not.”

Jet sighed and took her hands. “Hey, I think you’re cut out for this,” he said. “You’re doing great, just gotta keep it up.” He tried to smile at her.

“I can’t even help getting in fights,” she said. “No wonder he hates me.”

“Hey, no one hates you,” he said. “Poison is a tough pill to swallow.” He smiled sadly. “You’re doing everything right. Just keep focusing on work and it’ll be okay.”

Timid managed a weak smile and patted his hands. “You’re a good guy, Jet,” she said.

He chuckled and shook his head. “I try,” he said. “Just promise me you won’t give up, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She pulled her hands back to wipe at her tears, but smiled down at him.

He hugged her for a moment and rubbed her back. “I’ll be here if you need someone to tell you you’re doing okay, I promise,” he said.

Timid let herself hug him back. “Don’t tell anyone about this?” she said softly.

“Of course.” He nodded and stood up to head to his own room. He’d had enough drama for one day.

\---

Ghoul was the last one to go to sleep that night. The idea of running off and going on his own was becoming tempting again. He didn’t want them to know how unhappy he was, but with all the fighting, he was afraid it would slip though. He gazed at the horizon, more than happy to keep watch. Maybe he could stick around for the firefight and slip off afterward. They’d understand. His picked up his cup of coffee, now cooled from the night air. His fingers traced the outer rim. He closed his eyes and let himself slip away from the stress.

He was running for the sake of running. Saving people who were stranded and going against Better Living’s bullshit. If he left, he would be able to sneak into the city and rescue hostages. Save people from executions. Make a real difference, instead of sitting around the diner like a high school kid wallowing in drama. The thought suddenly pulled him back to reality. He frowned. He’d have to tell someone, before it tempted him too much and he ran off alone.

\---

The sun rose and Kobra was the first one up to greet it. He had a raging stomachache from the night before. The stress and Pup weren’t sitting right with him, not that they ever really had. He dismissed an exhausted Ghoul and took over the watch.

The sun wasn’t in his face yet, so he tried to finish his expense paperwork. They were expected to get them back to D by the week’s end. They were usually paid through the good doctor himself, and if something went awry, chances are they wouldn’t be able to eat for a while. He chuckled as he glanced over Ghoul’s notes. His expenses were all machine parts for the cars. Kobra fixed a few of the numbers and filled out the order sheet. At least it gave him something to do besides listen to static and stare out at nothing.

Finally, he leaned back and watched the sun rise. He glanced up when he heard someone fighting with the coffee maker in the kitchen. He walked back to the kitchen, where Poison gave him a quick nod as he worked.

“So yesterday was something,” Kobra said.

Poison shot him a look. “It was nothing more than proof that girl needs to learn respect,” he said.

“I’m not sure about that one,” Kobra said. “You two just seem to make each other’s fur rise.” He grabbed a coffee mug.

“She’s been nothing but a problem since she got here,” Poison hissed.

Kobra chuckled. “Yeah, so’s Ghoul, but he does his job and we keep him around.”

“I’m serious,” Poison said.

“Yeah? And so am I. You gotta cool it, man.” Kobra frowned. “I know shit’s going down, but we need to stay together.”

“That’s why I came out in the first place!” Poison said. “She was the one shooting looks at me!” He folded his arms, only undoing them when he could get his coffee.

“So she gave you a look? Dude, you’re the leader of this team. We need you in tip-top shape, not fighting with a new ‘Joy.”

“Okay, you have a point,” Poison said. “I just—don’t want to deal with the risk of someone going rouge.”

“Really?” Kobra arched his brow. “Whatever you say, man.”

Poison frowned and watched his brother over his coffee mug. He wasn’t in the mood for a debate. He just wanted Timid to behave herself, and not go after him or any of his team, let alone his girl. He leaned against the counter and sighed.

Kobra shrugged and went back to his post, watching the sands with tired eyes as he sipped his coffee. He gave up on the idea of making a dent in his paperwork and focused instead on the colors that came with the sunrise. He wondered if they looked the same from the city. Who could stand to be away from this beauty?

\---

The Four prepared for a supply run to the black market. With an extra mouth to feed, their supplies went a lot faster. No one had expected their supplies to run out so quickly, Poison least of all.

“Come on!” Timid said. “Let me come with you guys!”

“No,” Poison said bluntly. “We need you here to practice, and someone has to keep an eye on the diner.”

“I can help, though! I promise! I wanna help out with the real stuff. I’m not just a babysitter!”

“Defending the diner is the real stuff,” he said as he packed the Trans Am’s trunk. “Listen, if you do this, I’ll let you go on another run. You can pick the team for the day, whatever, just keep the base safe.”

“But—oh, fine!” She threw her arms up.

Poison nodded weakly. This was part of his concern. He looked at Ghoul, who was doing some routine testing. “We good for takeoff, then?”

“From the looks of it,” Ghoul said, slamming the hood of the car down. “Just a quick run, eh?”

“That’s the goal.” He adjusted his ray gun in the holster. Any “quick” run had the potential to be dragged out for days, even weeks.

“Eh, we’ll be back before diner,” Ghoul said, going to pick up the last of his gear.

Poison watched him, then went to find Revenge. “We’ll be back as soon as we can,” he whispered as he embraced her, pressing his lips to her hairline.

“Be careful out there, all right?” Her voice was hoarse with worry.

“I always am,” he said. He pressed his lips to hers slowly, but fully. 

When they parted, she cleared her throat and looked away. “Just come back,” she said.

“I always do,” He let his hands fall and lingered his touch down her arms. He looked her up and down and headed out the door, feeling like if he turned around his entire body would break.

He went out to the car and looked over the diner. His chest grew tight with worry. He hated the idea of leaving, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. He turned to his team in the car and nodded. After taking his place as driver, he revved the car up and turned onto the highway. If he didn’t make this run, they’d all be doomed anyway.

\---

The market had moved from fear of Better Living. That was nothing a quick call to D wouldn’t fix, but the idea that Better Living had frightened the black market concerned them. But they routinely moved out of sheer worry. The punishment for selling illegal goods was execution. 

The only one who was consistently able to sell was Tommy Chow Mein. But there was something about him that even frightened Draculoids. He did business with them and “followed” Better Living procedure when they inspected the old pawn shop. But you always got the feeling he was a good dozen steps ahead of you. And you didn’t want to challenge that.

Since he was out in Zone Three, they could only imagine the kind of watch Tommy was kept under. It was one reason his waves tended to be quieter than everyone else’s. When they knew you, feared you, they’d keep both eyes on you. At least until you slipped up.

In the black market, you faced a mixture of people. Some sellers were hard runners, bragging about the amazing steals they’d gotten off Better Living. If you could get the right tech, you’d be set for months, with the risk mirroring the rewards. Then you had people who barely scraped by, offering food, small finds, whatever they could sell to keep going. And you met a lot of pick-pockets out here. Usually it was best to browse in pairs.

Kobra headed to a small booth that sold herbal remedies. They were always running low on burn medicine. They never could afford enough of what Kobra wanted, but it seemed like a good idea nonetheless. The second stop was always cigarettes. They were dirt cheap and kept a ‘Joy going, especially if food wasn’t on the table. Next, they stocked up on cans of Pup. When they could buy real food, it was a treat. But dog food was a staple of life in the Zones. It tasted nasty, and was worse coming up. But it kept you alive.

Usually this covered their runs, unless Ghoul needed a car part or something had broken down. But this time, they decided to look around the small warehouse. It was nice to be able to breathe for a moment. But nothing that they could afford caught their eye. As they browsed, Poison kept his eyes out for anyone who noticed them. Whenever someone recognized them, they were either mobbed or a fight broke out. But no one in the warehouse seemed to notice.

The drive back was smooth, with music blasting through the radio. It was a nice change of pace from the usual static and reports of movements. Poison shifted the car’s gear to speed up. That was when they passed them: a team of Draculoids in a gleaming white car.

Poison cursed under his breath. “Get ready, gentlemen,” he said. “We got a firefight on our asses.”

Ghoul perked up. He climbed through roof’s opening and shot at the car. “Fuck yeah!” he said, laughing when he cracked their windshield.

Jet hung out the passenger’s side window to shoot at them. Despite the car’s windshield, they pushed on, following right behind them. The car behind them revved up and smashed into the bumper, nearly sending Ghoul flying out the moon roof. When the car lurched, Jet was thrown hard against Kobra’s seat. “Fuck!” he shouted.

Poison snarled. He did his best to keep the car moving, but the engine was stalling. The Dracs started climbing out of the car. “Move it, guys!” he hissed.

Ghoul kept one hand on the roof, shooting wildly, barely ducking out of the returning blasts of their enemy. “Shit, man!” he said.

Jet fell out of the window. His face smashed into the hot pavement. Kobra did his best to cover him, trying to get out of the car without slamming the door into Jet’s head. He swore under his breath. Jet snarled as the shots hit him, struggling to get to his knees. He cried out. Kobra reached for him, trying to get him out of harm’s way. But it seemed impossible. Kobra could feel tears rising as he grabbed Jet’s jacket, trying to yank him behind the protection of the door.

Poison was the last to step out, giving up on the idea of getting the car to behave. Since Ghoul was shooting so aimlessly, the Dracs had burn marks all over their white suits. Poison aimed for their heads, hoping to end this fight. But there was the risk that more Dracs would show up to back up their squadron. Poison’s breath hitched in his throat as he watched the bodies fall, trying to push away any thought except how to kill these scumbags.

When the fire ceased, Poison darted around the car to get Jet inside. His face was covered in burns and blood, but he was breathing. Poison and Kobra hauled him into the backseat. Ghoul rushed to the Draculoids’ car and grabbed whatever parts he could, thankful he had remembered to bring his wrench. He darted back and forth between the cars, rushing to patch up the Trans Am. When the Trans was finally starting to sputter, they sped off. 

Occasionally the engine sputtered or stalled for a moment. Poison looked back at Ghoul, but it was clear that he was in no state to do major repairs. Kobra was keeping an eye on Jet. Every moment they were away from the diner increased the risk of infection. Poison turned back to the wheel and forced the pedal down as hard as he could, silently begging the car to get them back in one piece.


	18. Damaged Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning from a scrape, leaving Ghoul and Kobra beaten harder then normal. The tension as the group hits a boiling point. At this point it's either work together or go exinct, and everyone has a hand in it. Whether they can handle it is another question entirely. Now with Ghoul on edge and Kobra wanted to intervene, pushing a wedge between them.

Timid’s eyes were set on the horizon. They hadn’t given her a specific time for their return, but when hours had passed and she hadn’t heard anything, she had begun to worry. She kept the radio on, checking the waves for any sign of movement. She was terrified of a shootout happening at the diner and being overpowered and outgunned. But something had to have gone wrong: it was supposed to be a supply run, and they’d been out all night.

She exhaled and went to the kitchen, searching the cabinets for what little resources they held. It was meager at best, but it helped her think for a moment. After giving up on the idea of making something that sounded good, she cracked open a can of Pup with her pocketknife. She took her food to the dining area and slumped against one of the booths. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could barely focus.

The fear had soured her appetite, but she did her best to eat. If something happened and she wasn’t strong enough to focus, it would all be her fault. Even if she managed to escape Better Living, she wouldn’t be able to hide from the outrage of the Killjoys. She tried a few different waves, growing anxious when Dr. D didn’t perform his usual check-in that evening. Everything seemed too still, too calm to be real.

She was beyond relieved when she saw the car speeding toward the diner. When she recognized the Trans Am, her face broke out into a smile. But the relief was quickly replaced with worry when the car fishtailed toward the diner. The brothers jumped out as fast as they could, stumbling over each other to carry out a bloodied Jet. Timid suppressed a scream and darted as fast as her legs would carry her.

“What happened?” she demanded, trying to help them lift Jet’s frame.

“Shootout,” Kobra muttered. “Better Living rammed us and shot him up pretty bad.” He motioned for them to lay him out on one of the tables.

“Go get Ghoul, he’s pretty out of it,” Poison ordered.

Kobra darted back and forth, collecting everything he needed. Timid nodded and helped Ghoul inside. “It’ll be okay,” she tried to assure him.

Ghoul nodded, sinking the first open seat he could find. He leaned his head against the table and groaned. “Fucking hurts,” he said.

“Timid!” Kobra called and tossed her a cold pack. It was one of the few they had, but it might help bring him back.

Timid pressed it to the back of Ghoul’s neck, her hands shaking. “I’ll be right here,” she told him, then headed to Kobra. “How can I help?”

He handed her a wet rag. “Help me get the dried blood out of the way.”

They tried to clean as much as they could without hurting Jet. Then Kobra went to work, stitching up the open wounds and applying herbs. He was terrified of Jet getting an infection. Kobra swore as he worked. Timid’s hovering made him anxious.

“Timid, help me get this off him,” Poison said, trying to strip Jet of his blood-soaked jacket and shirt.

The fabric peeled off with a sickening sound. But the damage to his torso was minimal; it looked like he took most of the shots to the face. As Timid left with the clothing, her eyes met Revenge’s. She was watching from the doorway, her face pale. Revenge followed Timid. No words were spoken between the women as they washed Jet’s clothes. Revenge didn’t want to work on someone who was injured, but Timid hated being demoted to something so useless as a dry cleaner.

With the girls out of the way, Kobra was able to relax. He hated patching up something as serious as facial work. He knew he could easily fuck it up. “There we go,” he said after what felt like hours.

Poison’s hands shook as he held Jet down by his chest. He hated seeing the blood and needles, but what choice did he have? “G-good,” he managed. “We need to keep an eye on him. I think Ghoul’s out, so we’ll switch.”

Kobra nodded, wiping sweat off his neck with one of the least bloodied rags. “Do you mind taking first?” His voice trembled slightly.

“I got it,” he said. “Get Ghoul to his room. We all need rest.” After he watched them limp out of the room, he collapsed in his seat, panting. 

\---

Kobra’s watch came sooner than he had expected. Poison looked like a zombie as he stumbled out of the dining area. He hadn’t even noticed the burns on his neck and arms. But he refused Kobra’s help. All he wanted to do was lie down and try to forget what had happened. Kobra backed down, not in the mood to debate. By now, they could all patch up most burn wounds, so he wasn’t as worried about Poison as he was about Jet.

He looked over the stitches and changed the bandages. He didn’t want to prod too much and wake Jet after the whole ordeal, but he wanted to know if his friend was truly okay. Kobra pulled up a chair. He wished he could have slept the whole night, but there was too much risk. As the night went on, he could barely hold himself up, his mind going back to the trauma he had endured. His own wounds from Better Living. It dawned on him that this was his first medical work since his arrest, and he wasn’t handling it well.

Just as the silence was beginning to make him feel sick, he heard faint footsteps. He looked up to see an exhausted Timid. Kobra managed a smile. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey.” She yawned and pulled up a chair, watching Jet with sad eyes. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, should be. I just wanna keep an eye on him till I know he’s more stable.”

She nodded. “I was worried,” she said. She wiped her eyes, which were surrounded by dark circles. “A lot happened today, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. Goes to show you there’s no such things as a safe run.” Kobra folded his arms behind his head. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Too much excitement.” She tried to smile, but it fell to a grimace. “Couldn’t stop thinking.”

“Happens to the best of us.”

“I keep telling myself that if I was there, I could have helped,” she said.

“I doubt that,” he said. “No one could. Sometimes these things just happen.”

“I know that logically, but this voice in my head just says I’m never doing enough. That I could be better at this.”

“We all could.” He tried to sound as empathetic as he could. “But the thing is, we can’t control anything outside of ourselves. And sometimes shit happens. It’s just meant to.”

“Do you really believe that?” she said.

“Yes and no. It’s one of the only ways I’ve found to deal with some of this shit.”

Timid frowned. “So you make yourself powerless?” she said.

“That’s not it,” he said. “I’m saying we only have power over ourselves right now in this moment. We can’t fix the past and we can change our future. But worrying about it right now gets us nowhere, it just gets us worked up. Makes it harder to change things.”

“I still like to have an idea, have something of a plan,” she said. “But it just seemed to stress me out more.” She ran her hands through her ponytail.

Kobra nodded. “You mind watching him?” he said. “I’m gonna go try to make some coffee.” 

“Go ahead,” she said. Her eyes followed him as he left, then looked down to Jet. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Please be okay,” she whispered. She pressed her lips to his forehead, barely ghosting over his skin.

\---

Kobra’s coffee lasted until the sun came up. He and Timid didn’t talk as much as give each other knowing looks. Timid headed to bed when the sun reached the horizon. She was exhausted. When Ghoul awoke, he seemed like he was still out of it, but there was nothing Kobra could do at the moment to treat it. He just had to get some rest and try to shake off everything. Feeling helpless made Kobra feel sick to his stomach, just like when he was trapped. In his mind, he was a failure as a medic. It made his stomach knot up.

Jet began to stir, his good eye opening weakly. “Kobra?” he rasped.

Kobra grabbed some water for him and helped him drink. “Here you go, buddy,” he said. He smiled sadly.

After choking down the water, Jet tried to sit up. He hissed in pain. “What happened?” he said. “I remember us getting rammed—”

“Better Living scum came at us,” Kobra said. “You got beaten up pretty bad.”

Hissing again, Jet nodded. “I got the gist of that,” he said. He started to touch his face, but Kobra stopped him.

“Just rest, dude,” he said. “You needed loads of stitches and you gotta leave them be.”

“Fuck, they really did a number on me, huh?” He tried to chuckle, but ended up coughing.

“We’ve gotta get you on antibiotics,” Kobra said. “I’m going to radio Tommy and see if we can arrange a pick-up.”

Jet nodded, knowing better then to debate Kobra when it came to these things. “I’ll pull through,” he said. He tried to smile. “Is Ghoul okay?”

“He looked out of it, but seems to be in good shape.” Kobra chuckled. “He wasn’t the one who flew out of the window.”

“Well, fuck me, then.” Jet let out a weak laugh, “Could have planned that one out a bit better. Well, these things happen, I guess. How long am I on rest?”

“Until further notice. I want to make sure there’s not too much damage. You’re probably going to have a few badass scars from this one.”

“Eh, I can live with that. Can I get some more water?”

“Sure thing,” Kobra said. He hopped up to get him more water, then sighed when he was out of earshot. It was good that Jet was okay and could communicate, but he wished that he’d gotten a bit more rest before coming to.

Jet hated lying there and feeling useless. But even breathing caused a burn in his chest. He groaned and stared up at the celling of the diner. When Kobra returned, he gratefully sipped the water. It was all he seemed to have the energy to do, but at least it was something. But there was something about the way Kobra wouldn’t look him in the eye that unnerved him. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Couldn’t they get one break out here?

\---

Timid ended up caring for Jet more than he had expected. Since Kobra was on medical duty and Ghoul was running, no one was left to train her. Poison claimed he didn’t have time to take on another trainee, but everyone knew the truth. So Kobra took her under his wing, teaching her some the basic medical care. She was actually a natural and Kobra was excited at the idea of having another medic around. Planning the next steps for Jet’s treatment was nerve-wracking, but it helped Timid learn. If she could help Jet, maybe he could train Timid to give care to the Zones. Eventually, they had to remove some of Jet’s bandages to see how much damage there was.

“I’ll do it,” Kobra announced to the three of them.

“Okay then,” Timid said. “Is there a certain way to do it, or—?”

“Not really, just try to be gentle.”

Jet laughed. “Hurry up, I want to be able to get off this table.”

“You’ll be lucky if you see the inside of your room with that attitude,” Timid teased. “You’d probably walk into a door.” 

Jet snorted. “Fuck yeah,” he said. “Now get this off my eye.” He beamed, but his face fell at the look on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

Kobra frowned, looking at his eye. It was scarred badly. “Well, fuck,” he said. 

“Are you saying there’s something wrong with it?” Jet’s chest grew tight. He looked back and forth.

“It’s not responding,” Kobra said. “We’re going to have to get you a patch. It might end up healing on its own, but…”

“Here, let’s patch it up ‘til we get you one?” Timid said.

Jet was shocked. “Well, shit,” he managed. “What do I do?”

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Kobra said and glanced at Timid, who nodded.

Jet felt hollow, like his lungs had stopped working. He looked up to the two, hoping for any sign of hope. “So basically, I’m fucked?” he said.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Kobra said, throwing out the soiled bandages. “We’ll figure this one out, Jet.”

“Doesn’t really feel that way.” Jet sighed and laid back on the table. 

Timid sat down next to him and tried to smile. “I think you look dashing,” she said.

A smile crept on his face. “You don’t say?” He chuckled. “Well, maybe there are some perks, then.”

Timid grinned. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. “Oh, come on, Mr. Confident. You can do this.”

“I know,” he said. “Doesn’t mean it ain’t a pain in the ass.”

Timid patted his forearm. “Come on, don’t be like that,” she said.

He smiled at her. “You’re too good to me, you know that?” he said.

She laughed and playfully prodded him, careful not to hurt him. “Why, Jet Star, you’re a charmer, aren’t you?”

“If you say so,” he said, snickering.

“Seriously, you’ll have no trouble getting the girls to come around.” She adjusted the wrap around his eye. “Perfect,” she said.

Jet closed his eyes. “You think if I go asleep, I can wake up in the morning and everything will go back to normal?”

She smiled sadly. “Give it a go, you never know.” She patted his shoulder and sat back, watching him with soft eyes.

\---

Ghoul walked aimlessly around the diner, trying to shake himself out of the fog. He hated the way he fell into these pits, and crawling out of them was a pain. Hadn’t he gone through enough over the years? Kobra hovered around him whenever he didn’t have his eyes on Jet. Something about that rubbed Ghoul the wrong way. He could see Kobra watching him with unsure eyes, like he might snap any second and start lashing out at them. 

“You can come out from behind the door,” Ghoul said as he began to pace.

“All right, you caught me,” Kobra said. He leaned back against the wall. “What are you up to?”

“I’m doing the same shit I always am, I’m trying to work,” Ghoul said. “Why do you think I need a babysitter?”

“I’m not babysitting anyone,” Kobra said. “I just want to be there for you if you feel you need to talk to someone. It can be overwhelming, and I don’t want you isolated.”

Ghoul scoffed. “And to be there if someone gets hurt?”

“Why?” Kobra said cautiously. “Do you want to hurt someone?”

“See?” Ghoul said. “This is exactly what I’m talking about! I’m not going to turn on you guys or some shit, so why don’t you just leave me alone?”

“Because I’m your friend and I’m fucking worried about you!” Kobra said. “I don’t know what got in your head, but goddammit, can you stop acting like you’re the only one whose hurting? Did you stop and think I was trying to relate?”

“Yes, I know, I get it. You’re there for me if I space out or I can’t think straight. Yes, I know you guys are here to support me. Now why don’t you go follow Jet around since he’s the one who was really hurt?”

Ghoul stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He went straight to his workbench, trying to find something to keep his hands busy. He began to tinker with a small engine he’d had around for the past few years. He hoped he could rig it up to a generator, maybe give them a shot at some power if there was a storm. If the rain became acidic, the last thing he wanted to do was run outside because the power was shot.

He heard footsteps and his mouth twisted. “Listen, can you just leave me alone for five goddamn minutes?” Ghoul said.

“I have,” Poison said calmly. “I just wanted to check in.”

“What, did Kobra go crying to his big brother and ask you to make it better?” Ghoul said.

“Not even close,” Poison said. “Everyone in the diner could hear you two. I get why you’re frustrated. I know it’s shitty when everything thinks you’ve lost your mind.”

Ghoul nodded and sighed. “I didn’t mean to upset him or anything, I’m just tired,” he said, avoiding Poison’s eye.

Poison patted his shoulder. “I know, man. Things are just hard—”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Ghoul said. “Everything is shit right now and we all fucking know it.”

Poison laughed softly and shook his head. “You’re right, man,” he said. “Nothing gets by you. It is shit. That’s why we’ve gotta find common ground, gotta figure out a way to calm this down.”

“Even if it means working with Timid?” Ghoul turned to face Poison warily.

Poison swallowed. “Even if it means I gotta work with Timid,” he said.

“Good,” Ghoul said. “It’s not fair if you’re going to order us around and not even try to do the same.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a fucking hypocrite and I ran this group into the ground.” Poison flinched. He didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did.

“Shit, man, I didn’t mean—no one thinks you started shit.”

“Yeah, I know.” He laughed bitterly and looked away. “Sometimes it’s more of what I think than anything that gets to me.”

“You’ve done everything you can to keep this group afloat,” Ghoul said. “Don’t you dare think otherwise.”

Poison clapped his friend on the back. “Thanks, man,” he said, then turned to walk away. Maybe Ghoul did need more freedom. There had to be a way to give it to him.

Ghoul watched with tired eyes, then shook his head. The thought of running away had risen to the front of his mind again. But all he could think of was how everything fallen apart before. It was just another hope that he’d have to lock away, never to return.


	19. Restoring the Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After feeling some relief from Kobra, Ghoul starts to feel more like himself. More running, ass kicking, taking names, the work. But after doing a run for D and Pony, he returns to find the worst possible thing has happened. Something that will change the killjoy's lives forever.

Everything seemed to slow down in the diner while everyone was healing. Kobra had backed off Ghoul’s case. Ghoul went on small runs, mostly supply drops to D’s house and back. It was a bit of a pain with how much Dr. D and Show Pony moved around, but there were plenty of bounty hunters on their asses. It seemed like every time they avoided one trap, they were at risk of falling into a worse one. Pony dropped off messages scribbled on whatever he could find: wanted posters, wrappers from the city. After Poison read the messages, he burned them.

Timid had been itching to go on longer missions, and despite his concerns, Poison had let her go. He’d had no intention of honoring his promise, but with one of his runners barely able to see, and another at constant risk of disassociation, he didn’t have much choice. Running was getting harder for his team, and money was growing tight. With few gas stations and more Better Living restrictions on oil, it was beginning to be worth more than your life. They had some fuel hoarded away, but Poison wasn’t thrilled at the idea of dipping into their savings. Kobra frequently searched for another functioning station, with little to no luck. After he almost fell down a shaft hidden in the sand, Poison wasn’t thrilled with anyone doing overnights alone. But again, he seemed to have no choice.

Slumping down in a chair, Poison stared at the filthy notebook he kept for sketches and notes. Every time he came up with a plan, he burned it almost right away. The thought that Better Living was watching him had plagued him at night. He noticed his hands were shaking. He slipped out of the room and found an old pot of coffee. It was cold and he nearly vomited, but if he had to be awake, he at least wanted to be alert. He snagged a cigarette from a pack that someone had left out and lit up, heading into the dining area. The memories of a bloodsoaked Jet were still vivid in his mind, so he sat facing the other way, closing his eyes for a moment while he enjoyed his smoke.

Maybe it was because he was the leader, or maybe he just knew more about their situation from the notes passed between him and D. But the thought of being able to sleep for more than an hour was long gone. How could anyone relax when things were at their most dire? All the plots, all the threats on the waves against him, his brother, all of them. He shook his head, barely noticing that his cigarette had nearly burned down to the filter. He vaguely considered getting in the Trans Am and seeing if he could get more food or medicine. But the Zones didn’t seem as open as they once had. It was like a straight shot between them and the city.

The idea made him queasy. But wasn’t that all there ever really was? The Killjoys and Dracs going head-to-head, smashing into each other until one force was victorious. And the worst part was being the face of this rebellion. He couldn’t say he approved of all the Killjoys’ tactics, but there were no lines left to cross. Some Killjoys said that if Better Living used these tactics, why shouldn’t they? They started their own broadcasts to rival Dr. D’s. Poison had once stumbled upon them, and he feared them as much as he feared Better Living broadcasts. They called for the death of anyone who so much as showed kindness to the opposing party.

Poison considered radioing D, knowing he would understand. But with everything going on, it seemed like a waste of time. This growing war wasn’t the only thing on his mind this evening. He’d found Better Living pills in the diner. Timid seemed to be the most likely suspect. But all he could do was pray that it was a mistake, something they had taken as contraband. The lie was comforting, but he wouldn’t fool anyone else. He couldn’t even fool himself.

“Christ, what have I gotten myself into,” he mumbled, snuffing out his cigarette before ash could fall on his bare hand. He headed for the kitchen and debated making fresh coffee, but decided against it. The last thing he needed right now was someone else around, clouding his thoughts and making it worse. After pacing for a few minutes in the kitchen, he went back to his room. His eyes fell on a lump on his bed. One leg hung out as she tossed and turned.

There was so much that he wanted to give them, all of them. The lives they could have if none of this ever happened. The families they could raise, the loves they could find. He sighed, bitterness starting to seep in. Better Living had robbed them of everything.

He carefully covered her up, making sure she was on the mattress. The way her hair flayed out, the bright color against the filthy bedding and pillows. He couldn’t help but smile. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then sat down at his desk, writing in his notebook again. There had to be a way out of this.

\---

Dr. D sat hunched over his map. Pins noted where fires had broken out: not only the arson committed by Better Living, but from a group of Killjoys. At this rate, half the Zones would be torched before they could plan an attack. The days were moving too fast, and it seemed people were afraid to ally themselves with his group anymore. Stories of Kobra’s return from the dead had spread around, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of experimentation.

“Pony, c’mere,” Dr. D said. “Tell me what you see.”

“A whole lot of problems for us?” Pony said, yawning.

“Yes, but what else do you see?”

“Is it a pattern?” Pony said, pointing out the circular formation.

D nodded. “The outer ring was started by Dracs,” he said, his finger hovering over the map. “The inner workings were done by rebels.”

Pony blinked sleepily and rubbed at his eyes. “It looks like the Better Living mouse,” he said.

“My thoughts exactly,” D said. “These rebels are just trying to get attention. They left people in the buildings, just to prove a fucking point.”

“What are we supposed to do, D?” Pony said.

“I’m not sure,” D admitted, scratching his greasy hair. “The more I try to calm it down, the more it heats up. I’m glad people are fighting back, don’t get me wrong, but this is beyond humanity.”

“So what do we do, then?” Pony said. “Make it clear that they don’t represent us?”

D snorted. “Good luck with that one,” he said. “You know they’re broadcasting this shit, proving what terrible beings we all are, flashing our faces time and time again and saying we’re the ones wrecking shit up.” D shook his head. “No, Pony, I think that this go-around we gotta keep our heads focused on our own plans, and hope they ain’t singing our names while they burn it down.”

“Sounds like you’re giving up,” Pony said, looking through the few records they had unpacked since the last move. He put one on with a hum. “That ain’t like you.”

D pulled him into his lap. “Now, why would you say something like that?” He looked at him seriously, but fondness showed in his eyes.

“I’m just saying, D,” he hummed and slipped off his lap. “I’ve never seen you give up. Why are you now?”

D shook his head and laughed. “What, you think saying all this is going to get me to go on a tirade on the air, separating us from them?” he said.

“Well, you should.” Pony’s lips pursed.

“If we can make a few of those Better Living assholes back off the Zones, then it’s a success,” D growled, his laughter gone.

“Is that what you’re going to say about those people who died?” Pony said. “The innocents?”

“I’m gonna say that everyone living out here—neutrals, ‘Joys, and whatever’s in between—knows the risk,” D said. “That’s why they gotta keep running.”

“You have more reach out here then you realize,” Pony mumbled.

“Yeah, and I’m using that to try to handle Better Living out here.” He sighed. “Go get me some more coffee, will you?”

Pony scoffed, but did as D requested. He wasn’t happy about any of this, but there was no point in pushing it further. After all, there was no way the man he loved could be that indifferent toward human life. Could he?

\---

Jet stared at the ceiling. It seemed like that was all he did nowadays. He was allowed to walk short distances, but his depth perception was shot. There was no way he could enter a firefight like this. Luckily, Kobra and Timid made sure he didn’t bump into things around the diner when he was allowed to walk.

He carefully hoisted himself up and glanced at Timid. He liked watching her sleep, tracing the outlines of her face and lips with his eyes. It helped his anxiety. The more time he spent watching her, the more he noticed. The long eyelashes against her cheeks. The way her nose crinkled when she muttered in his sleep. But he couldn’t help but think of the girls he had felt this way for before: the unreturned feelings, the passion that faded away. He had to get away from all that. Throwing himself into work had helped, but it wasn’t foolproof. And here he was, watching a woman sleeping, with no way to run away or distract himself. It was like God himself was mocking his very existence.

“Get it together,” Jet mumbled. He closed his eyes, flinching when he did. He still wasn’t used to the throbbing pain in his eye.

“Wha—” Timid jumped and looked at him. “What are you doing awake?” she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep, eye was bugging me too much,” he lied.

She headed to get some of the herbs. “Come here,” she said.

Jet relaxed when she touched his cheek. The herbs were a bit gritty, but they helped with the pain. “Thank you,” he said.

Timid smiled and withdrew her hand. “I’m glad I could help some,” she said. She sighed and hugged her knees.

“Do you think I’ll be patched up by the time we get this fight on?” Jet said.

Timid frowned. “You haven’t been fighting or training,” she said. “Are you sure you’d be up for it?”

“Of course,” he said. “It’s like swimming or riding a bike, never goes away.”

“And if your eye doesn’t heal?”

“Then I learn to keep going. Can’t give up and sit around here forever.”

Timid swallowed. “I don’t really want you out there fighting,” she said. “I’d feel better if you stayed back and watched the diner.”

Jet blinked. “Why is that?” he said.

“Because I really care about you, and you’re a good guy, so…” Her cheeks were on fire. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you again.”

He smiled at her. “Something bad is always going to happen,” he said. “It’s the way we deal with it that matters. We can’t just ignore the bad. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

“No, you just—you don’t get it.” She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “I know bad shit is gonna happen, but can we try to be cautious for a bit?”

Jet smiled sadly. “My life is out there, fighting,” he said. “I can’t stay cooped up in here forever, any more than you could.” He tilted her chin upwards so that she faced him. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, but I still don’t think you do,” she said.

“And what don’t I understand?”

Giving up on the idea of words, she gently leaned in and kissed him. “I can’t see you gone,” she whispered.

Jet smiled weakly, then took her face in his hands before she could pull back. He kissed her more fully than before. “I can’t say I won’t go, but I’ll always float back around,” he chuckled.

Timid’s head was swimming. She managed to nod weakly. “Just let me take care of you a bit longer, please?” she managed.

“Fine, you win this one, nurse,” he teased and laid back down. “Happy, then?”

She smiled and nodded, making sure his bandages were in place. “Very,” she said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Just gotta trust that I’ll be around to fix you up if something happens.” 

“I already do,” he whispered. “I have.”

Timid’s stomach was in knots. This couldn’t be real. It had to be some perfect dream she was having. She hugged her knees again and watched him with soft eyes. Dream or not, she was happy that it had happened.

\---

The atmosphere of the diner had changed. People were laughing and having fun. Timid was back to training, as Kobra had taken some extra time now that Jet was healing to help her out. Most days, Jet stumbled outside with an old lawn chair, sunglasses on. He threw out pointers and cheered her on. He still was her mentor, even if he couldn’t rumble with her.

Ghoul felt more like himself now that he was allowed to have his own life again. In retrospect, he felt bad for snapping as badly as he had, but it had to be done. And now that everything was coming together, things were easier. His quick trips to the station lasted longer and longer. Some days, he accompanied Pony when he fetched messages from other Zones. He checked on the trainees who floated into D’s approved areas, trying to make sure they were real ‘Joys and not Better Living androids. Luckily, blood work was mandatory. D had tried to pick people he had worked with, familiar faces and names who would risk their lives to stand up to this tyranny. 

Ghoul knew most of them, even if he only vaguely remembered them from a broadcast or some story he had heard down the line. His arrivals seemed to make everyone excited. He had always been something of a social butterfly, and getting back to his roots and reaching out to people made him feel at home again.

“Oh, come on, there’s no way that’s true,” a young ‘Joy laughed with Ghoul after he’d told one of his favorite stories.

“Oh yeah, I did. Three exterminators, took them all down barehanded.” He flexed and made poses, causing everyone to burst into laughter. “I’m serious! You think I don’t know how to fight?”

“I thought Kobra was the one who knew karate,” another ‘Joy teased.

Ghoul snorted. “I taught him everything he knows,” he said.

“Oh God, you’re lying through your teeth!” the first ‘Joy said, cracking up.

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Ghoul said. The smile had never left his face since he’d arrived. He’d given them pointers on maintaining and cleaning their blasters, but somehow it ended with him telling stories to eager young faces.

“Do you ever think the others will come visit us?” a particularly young girl asked. There was no way she was older then fifteen.

“I could ask, but there’s so much going on,” Ghoul said. “We aren’t just training all the time, you know.” He thought of everyone sitting back at home, buried deep in their books, trying to absorb all the knowledge they could.

“Well, they should.” She sat on a rock, swinging her legs. “I’d really love to see them and find out what makes them tick.”

“Oh, nah, we’re boring as fuck,” he said. “Trust me, it’s not the constant party, fast-paced life they make it look like. We actually have to fill out paperwork.” He laughed when everyone groaned. “I’m not kidding.”

“Ghoul!” Pony said. His head shot up. “We gotta do some work.”

Ghoul groaned. “See what I mean?” he said. “But seriously, keep up the good work, guys.” He walked up to Pony. “What’s up?”

“D wanted to see you,” Pony said. “I’ll keep an eye on them for a bit.”

“Thanks, man.”

Ghoul headed over to the car, giving the ‘Joys one last look before speeding off to the station. He took back routes to confuse anyone who tried to follow him. When he pulled up to the makeshift station, he did his best to make sure his car was hidden, then trudged into the building. “What’s going on, man?” he said.

“We’ve got bad news,” D said. His face was pale and sickly-looking. His eyes were swollen and rimmed with red. “It looks like the diner’s been attacked.”


	20. Restoring the Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The diner is gone. The team is missing, and Ghoul's isolated trying to piece together what happened. Whether the guys surivived or met their own firey end.

Ghoul stared at him with shock. He wanted to laugh and brush it off a joke, a cruel prank. But Dr. Death’s sniffing made his stomach sink. His heart felt like it were in his throat. “But the diner’s defenses—” he managed.

“Torn down,” D whispered, rubbing his eyes.

“Did they get out?” Ghoul said. “Did they get out?” he demanded when Dr. Death didn’t respond.

“We don’t know,” D said.

“Well, we have to go!” Ghoul said. “We need to find out if they made it to a safe house.” 

“We can’t,” D said. “We have no extra ‘Joys to spare right now, and I’m certain Better Living is watching the place like a hawk for anyone else to pop up. You can’t go back.”

“I have to!” Ghoul cried. “They’d do the same for me!”

“No,” D said firmly, the grizzly tone in his voice coming back. “That’s an order.”

Ghoul stopped in his tracks. His legs shook as if they couldn’t hold him up any longer. “We can’t just give up,” he said.

“We’re not,” D said. “We’re gonna wait for a safer time and regroup. Anyway, if they did get to a safe house, they’ll contact us. You can be sure of that. We can’t just charge in on this one.”

Ghoul stumbled over to the chair where Pony usually sat. “Fuck,” he hissed and tugged at his hair.

“I know this is hard on you,” D said. “I know you want to go running off and find out what the fuck’s going on. I do, too. But if they are gone, we’re gonna need a new leader, a new team, and I need you at the forefront of that.”

Ghoul laughed bitterly. “I’m no leader,” he said. “You got the wrong end of the stick for that one.”

“Well, even if you won’t lead, I’ll need your help picking a new team.”

Ghoul glanced up, suspecting sarcasm. He was floored when he realized that D was serious.

“There’s no replacing the guys,” Ghoul said. “Either they’re alive or they aren’t, but trying to replace them would be just fucked up.”

“We need to keep people believing that this could work,” D said. “We need more ‘Joys than we can get our hands on. What else can we do?”

Ghoul hung his head. “There’s no replacing them,” he said, then walked out, refusing to turn back. He didn’t care what D ordered. He was going to find his team, even if it killed him.

\---

Ghoul scanned the sand for any sign of life. For the first time in ages, he truly felt alone. The cacti and other flora were there, somehow making it worse. His stomach and chest ached. He closed his eyes, not wanting to deal with the pain right now. He had to handle this the way Poison normally would: figure out a plan and attack the root of the problem. Suddenly he empathized with Poison when he had lost his brother than ever. Before Ghoul knew it, he was in tears. He had lost the only family he’d ever really had.

There had to be a better way of dealing with all this. He suddenly found himself yearning for the false comfort of the city, never feeling this way again—

“Stop,” Ghoul told himself. “They’re smart. They would have realized something was going on and gotten out.”

He decided not to return to the diner. His best bet was checking the nearby safe houses. They would have gone to the closest house and left once they knew they were going to be all right.

He headed for the first safe house he could think of. It was little more than a shack, a glorified outhouse that they kept stocked with emergency supplies. It was less then twenty miles from the diner, so he doubted he would find them there. There was no way Poison would let them stay long with everything going on. But hopefully he would find the supplies gone, and maybe even a message telling him they were all right.

He swallowed his worries when the safe house came into view. The supplies were gone, the lock open and hanging from the door. He smiled to himself. Only the Four had the keys, so one of them must have unlocked it. He searched for a note, a map, anything they could have left for him to find. But there was nothing. Suddenly he was hit with a frightening thought. If Better Living had broken into the diner, they could have found the keys. A note might have lead Better Living straight to their location.

“Fuck!” Ghoul cried, punching the door off the hinges. He was shaking, his stomach in knots. He doubled over and tried to vomit. But nothing came up. He couldn’t seem to rid himself of this bile, in his gut and in his life.

There had to be a way to find them. He hopped back into the car and turned the radio on, searching for any signals that the guys could have put out. His sights were set on the next safe house, his hand on his gun, expecting to be ambushed at every turn. He wasn’t free anymore. He was just another pawn in Better Living’s sick game.

\---

“Is everyone all right?”

Poison’s voice was low and shaky. They had gotten ahold of Better Living technology, which had alerted them to the invasion. They had nearly stripped the diner clean by the time they were within range. What bothered him most was the sheer numbers in the attack. Better Living must have been recruiting from the Zones. The idea made his stomach turn sour, but there was little he could do.

“We’re here, and alive,” Kobra muttered, lighting a candle so they could see. They’d found an old warehouse to camp in for the time being. No electricity or running water, but they’d have to make do.

“What are we going to do about Ghoul?” Jet said. He looked at everyone’s faces in the candlelight. 

“Ghoul’s with D, they’ll look after each other,” Poison said. “We’ll just stay here ‘til we know we’re not being monitored and move out.”

“You know he’s going to flip in the meantime,” Kobra said.

“Yeah, well, we’ll have to trust D to keep him in line,” Poison said. He wished they had found a way to contact someone, but all their signals had gone dead. Better Living must have brought a signal jammer. “But for now, we have to focus on us.”

“Then what do we do?” Jet said. “I don’t know how good I’m going to be at shooting, and the girls seem wiped out.”

“We form a new base, and keep everything going as planned,” Poison said.

“And what about all the hell that happens in between?” Kobra said. “How are we going to handle all this shit?”

“The same way we always have,” Poison said. “We split up work, work harder than we ever thought possible, and live like there’s no tomorrow.”

Kobra frowned, but nodded. It wasn’t the time to question decisions. “Where can we start?” he said. “The new base?”

“That’s the plan,” Poison said. He tried to hold one of his maps up to the light without burning it. “We’re going to have to move further out.”

“We’ll risk radiation poisoning, you know that?” Kobra said.

“Of course I do, but we have no other choice,” he said. “They usually fight us on the run, not on our own territory.”

Jet leaned in. “I’m with Poison,” he said. “We’ll probably end up dead anyway. Plus, it’s nothing a shot to the brain won’t cure.”

Poison nodded and looked to Kobra for approval. “It’s our best shot, man.”

“Do we know if there’d even be anything out there for us?” Kobra said.

“There should be. When we’ve done recon on the area, we’ve seen warehouses and older buildings. There has to be one that’s held up enough over the years that we could stay there.”

“I don’t know if passing Zone Six is the best idea,” Kobra mumbled, looking away.

Poison frowned. “Do we really know how toxic it is out there?” he said. “How much of that is Better Living propaganda?”

“Yeah, but is it worth our lives to find out?” Kobra said. “We’re already hitting high doses of radiation, that’s why I keep up on our blood tests. If we go out there, it could kill us in our sleep.”

Poison sighed. “Do you have a better idea?” he said.

“Try to find another location that’s livable, and make contact with D as soon as possible,” Kobra said.

Poison looked to Jet. “What’s our best option out here?”

“We could head east,” Jet said. “There may be something before we pass the Zone line, but I don’t know how well it’s held up over there.” He chewed on his lip for a moment. “West would lead us toward Better Living’s reach.” He sighed and turned to Kobra. “I gotta back Poison up on this one. Sorry, man.”

Kobra frowned. “Fine, but the second our levels go up, we’re leaving,” he said.

Poison nodded, getting to his feet. “Fair enough.”

\---

They scouted for abandoned buildings that were still intact. Anything close to their current location risked pinging up on Better Living’s radar. They poured over more and more maps, each location having some problem or a greater risk than where they were now.

“Come on, guys, give it up,” Poison said. “We agreed on heading past Zone Six.” He gave them both a hard look. “There’s no other way right now.”

“Poison, I know this isn’t what you wanted—” Jet said.

“No, it’s not what we agreed to. But every second we wait here and fuck around, the enemy could be drawing closer.”

“Fine, let’s pack our shit up and go, then!” Jet up threw his arms.

“Finally,” Poison said before helping them pack the Trans Am.

Kobra climbed in the back with the girls. Both of them had spent most of the time sleeping, as there wasn’t anything else to do. He sighed and glanced out the window. It wasn’t even fully light out, couldn’t have been more than five in the morning. He looked up front to see Jet and Poison looking over the maps.

“Let’s get this over with,” Kobra said.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re going,” Poison muttered.

Jet sighed. “Come on, guys, let’s just save it ‘til we find shelter,” he said.

Poison started the car and drove slowly. If they ran into a patrol, they could try to sneak past. He had a vague idea where the line for the Zones ended. There had been minimal recon out here for fear of radiation poisoning. As you drove further away from the city, the cases grew increasingly worse. And Poison couldn’t help but feel more anxious as they drove further.

The change was sudden. There were barbed wire fences, most of them falling apart, but no sign of life. The buildings looked like they were covered in black tar. Everything screamed that people weren’t meant to be out somewhere like this.

Poison swallowed those nagging feelings. “We’ll set up camp behind those ruins,” he said calmly, peeking his head out. He was relieved when he could breathe without choking. “Looks like we’ll be okay without gas masks,” he muttered.

“If that’s what you want,” Kobra said coolly. He helped set out the sleeping bags and canteens of water.

“You girls okay?” Poison said.

“Yeah, I can make do.” Timid groaned. “I don’t know what’s come over me,” she said, carefully dragging her bag through the sands. They’d have to sleep exposed, unzipping the bags and laying them flat.

“Ugh, is it always this bad?” Revenge made a face. She followed Timid’s example, looking up when the guys placed boundaries around them. She knew better than to wander off, and this made her feel like they thought of her as a child.

Poison turned away and looked at her softly. “It’s just a precaution,” he said.

“Listen, Poison, I think we all know we need to stick together,” Timid said. “And I think if you need to set up boundaries, we understand.”

Jet nodded, coming up beside her. “It’s for everyone, not just you two,” he said.

Revenge huffed. She turned to the sleeping bags and made sure they were patted down, brushing the dust off them. “So what are we going to do, then?” she said.

“We’re going to try to contact D, get ahold of Ghoul, and relocate as soon as possible” Kobra said. “I don’t want us staying here a moment long then we have to.” He shot a look at Poison.

Poison grimaced but nodded. “Kobra’s right,” he said. “We’re only out here because right now there’s no other option.” Poison knelt down on one of the bags. “Get some rest, guys, or at least try to.”

Everyone settled down against the bags. The wind’s chill was nonexistent here; the air just seemed to breed more heat. Timid curled up next to Jet. She didn’t know what was going to happen, but was trying her best to trust the guys. Seeing them divided wasn’t helping. It was like they were a rabble of teenage boys. Revenge laid on her back next to Poison. She had known there was a side of their life outside the diner, but she’d never really seen it. It felt like Poison had been protecting her from it.

“What are you doing over there?” Poison whispered, trying to keep his voice down.

“It’s hot,” she mumbled and rolled on her side.

“It’s always hot,” he said. “Don’t be mad. I’m doing what I have to.”

“I know,” Revenge whispered. “I know it’s not easy, it’s just not what I expected.”

Poison grimaced. “I didn’t want you to know, I guess this is my own fault.” He draped his arms around her middle, tucking his head between her shoulder and neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, lacing their fingers together. This was more of a trial then she had expected. Maybe she had been spoiled, maybe she wasn’t doing enough. She closed her eyes and rolled over to tuck herself closer to him.

“I got you,” he whispered, his grip becoming tighter. “I’m not going anywhere.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and closed his eyes, falling into a weary sleep.

\---

All the safe houses were empty. Ghoul felt sicker then he’d ever been in his entire life. He had returned to the diner under cover of darkness. Everything was eerily silent, like something out of a horror movie. He stared sadly at his soot-covered hands. Biting back fresh tears, he dug his nails into the dark smudges on his hands to keep him in that moment. There would be a time to mourn his friends’ missing presence, but that was not now. He had to clear out whatever remained.

Most of the plastic and pleather in the dining area had melted; just the metal frames remained. He stripped them away as fast as he could. Metal could be used for so much, and he didn’t want to risk losing it. He found an old tarp around the garage out back and bound up all the loose pieces he found, then attached them to the back of his bike. 

Once packed, he headed back to the campsite he’d set up after leaving D’s. He listened to D’s show, noticing that he didn’t touch on the rumors that the Fab Four had been taken in. Of course D would try to keep panic down. But Ghoul wondered if that censorship would cost them in the long run.

Ghoul flipped through the channels in hope of finding something. He’d take pirate radio, talking, music, anything other than the static that seemed to mock him. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice. He jumped and quickly tried to get back to the channel. He fiddled with the radio, barely able to make out the voice, his eyes wide.

“Ghoul, Fun Ghoul, if you’re hearing this we’re alive,” Kobra broadcasted. “We’re still in grave danger. Send us a message and will follow with coordinates. We’re off the grid—repeat, off the grid. Risk of disease is high. Reply as soon as you get this, Ghoul, please respond.” 

Hot tears streamed down Ghoul’s cheeks as he tried to repair a CB he had taken apart in frustration just hours ago. He had to get ahold of them, fix this entire thing before it spiraled further. If he his team really was alive really out there, he’d do whatever it took to bring them home.


	21. Market sweet Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After reuniting with each other, the team is focusing on relocation. Not wanting to risk being in an unstable area and facing attacks. Deciding on a market with a great location, there's an adjustment period, not only with their new home, but the team itself.

Ghoul’s transmission came through the next morning. Jet hadn’t been able to sleep at all. He tossed and turned for a while, but eventually gave up on the idea, instead taking a watch. At least he could give everyone else the chance to get some rest. After all, they had taken care of him when he was out for the count. When he heard the CB crackle, he nearly tripped over Kobra to get to it.

“Hello?” he said.

“Goddammit—Jet?” Ghoul’s voice was scrambled. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you guys all night!”

“The signal is shit out here, where are you?” Jet said, relaxing a bit.

“I’m not too far from D’s station. I went back to the diner. Did everyone make it out?”

“Yeah, we’re all right. Exhausted and shook up, but all right.” Jet grimaced at the thought of it ending otherwise.

“Where are you guys?”

“We headed out past Zone Six. I’m not really sure, but we just stopped as soon as we could.”

Ghoul paused, swallowing audibly. “Is it safe out there?” he said.

“I don’t think so. Everything seems smoggy and weird. I think we’re gonna head back as soon as we get a new base.” He paused. “Can you help us find a place?”

“Yeah, of course, what do we need?”

“Just a building that’s stable, no one living in it. And hopefully in a spot that Better Living wouldn’t find right away.”

Ghoul whistled. “I’ll pass it on, then. You guys should head back here today. Make use of my base camp, then we can move from there.”

“I’ll let everyone know, but I don’t know how well they’ll like it. Can you send out your coordinates?”

Ghoul frowned. “I don’t know how secure these waves are,” he said. “Just go back to the station and I’ll meet you there.”

“Shiny, we’ll see you there.”

Jet signed off and looked at his team. Everyone was exhausted. He didn’t know if he could handle that drive again, but someone had to. He shook everyone awake.

“I just heard from Ghoul,” he explained to the brothers when they awoke. “He said to come back to D’s and we can use his campsite as a base while D looks for something for us.”

Kobra nodded, stumbling almost drunkenly. “The sooner the better,” he mumbled.

Poison blinked sleepily as he rose. “Is this really the best idea?” he said. “At least we know Better Living won’t come out here.”

“Yeah, because there’s nowhere safe from the radiation out here,” Kobra said. “Let’s just get going and we can discuss looking for a base out here after we’re away from it.”

Poison grumbled, but risking everyone did seem stupid in hindsight. “Gear up,” he sighed.

Everything was tense. Poison didn’t like the idea of returning. The girls were uncomfortable with all the uncertainty. Kobra was worried about everyone’s health, and Jet was tired of going back and forth. Jet took the wheel and ushered everyone in behind him as they finished packing. He turned the engine over and headed back for the Zones. He didn’t know what was the right thing to do. All he could do right now was follow his gut.

\---

D looked up at Pony, then Ghoul, before mumbling something under his breath and changing the record that was playing. “You sure they’re coming here?” he said.

“Yeah, I figured meeting here was the most appropriate thing to do,” Ghoul said. He glanced over at the map, where they’d marked a few possible bases. “So there’s another diner near Four?” he said.

“I don’t know if it’s been occupied over the years, but it could be the perfect location,” D said. “It’s surrounded by cliffs, so you’d have some great defenses.”

“And a market?” Ghoul said. “You sure that’d be a good idea?”

“Can you think of something better?” He took his cane and whacked at Ghoul’s legs. “Come on, youngin’, don’t you trust me after I’ve gotten your asses out of trouble?”

Ghoul jumped out of the way of the man’s strikes. “It just seems so obvious,” he said.

“Exactly,” he said. “And hopefully Better Living would assume the same thing, pass it right on by. I don’t know the future, Ghoulie. All I’m trying to do is find you a place as fast as I can. It’ll be up to you to make it work.”

Ghoul nodded, shifting in his chair, trying to get a bit more comfortable. “If you think it could work out,” he said.

“Anything could work out,” D said. “It’s your job to go out and make it work, not mine. I ain’t the all-knowing god of the Zones, you should know that by now.”

“I know, I know,” Ghoul said. “I guess I just wish I could have something more concrete, some security and all.”

“If you want that kind of stability, go to Bat City. And they don’t even have a guarantee.” He looked at Ghoul over his sunglasses. “Since when are you so cautious?”

“Since I’ve nearly seen my family torn to shreds when I could do nothing about it,” he said. His voice was distant.

D nodded respectfully. He looked up, hearing the familiar sound of tires on sand. “They’re here,” he said.

Ghoul and Jet headed outside. “D,” Jet said as he walked up.

“All right, I got you a few locations for a base,” D said. “You can choose from ‘em and I’ll do my best to keep an eye on the surrounding situation. Take your time, but keep me informed.”

“Thanks, D.” Poison smiled. He took the map with location, then turned to Ghoul, who was quieter than usual. They met eyes and nodded before Ghoul headed for his bike. After thanking D, Poison and Jet got back in the car and followed Ghoul.

The hideout was on top of a cliff in the middle of nowhere. No cameras, no drones, no intersections nearby. The car couldn’t handle the incline of the cliff, so they parked behind a few rocks and make the trek on foot. It couldn’t have been past midday, but it was unusually humid, making the sticky hike all the more miserable. When they reached Ghoul, he was already laying out his supplies, his bike parked under a bush. He turned to his team and darted over to help them carry their gear.

“Well, tuck your shit down,” he said once everyone had reached the top. “Get plenty of water. I’m gonna fiddle with the CB and see if we can get the traffic report going. I want to keep an eye on their movements since you all disappeared.” 

When they finished unpacking, Poison found Ghoul. “How’s the CB looking?” he said.

“You guys really did a number on this one,” Ghoul muttered, working with a screw driver. “Was it blasted?”

“I don’t know,” Poison said. “When we went to use it after the fire, it was totally shot.” 

“I can’t remember the last time we had to use it,” Kobra said.

Ghoul pointed the screwdriver at the brothers. “Well, this is what happens when you get too comfortable,” he said.  
“So, what happens after we get the radio up?” Timid said. “Do we just head on over to the new base?”

Poison bit his lip in thought. “I think we should take our time on that,” he said. “Make sure we have plenty of supplies. Plenty of gas, too.”

“I can help with a run on that.” She sat up, suddenly alert. “I’ll go hunting right now if you’d like.”

Poison paused, then nodded. “Just stay close, head out on foot,” he said, not wanting one of their vehicles to be stolen. “Jet will go with you.”

Jet climbed to his feet. “Sounds like a plan,” he said, smiling at Timid.

“Fuck yeah!” she hooted when they’d walked far enough away. “Finally, I can show everyone what I can do.”

Jet chuckled. “Just take it easy,” he said. “We don’t need you collapsing or something.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Whatever you say, Mom!” she said.

He walked up to her and draped his arm around her shoulders. “What am I gonna do with you?” he said.

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” she teased, enjoying the weight on her shoulders. She jumped up when they came upon a few lizards. A blade in each hand, she picked them off in the blink of an eye. “Fuck yes,” she said. She gathered up the kills, looking around for more meat.

Jet watched her with soft eyes. She moved like an animal, taking down mice, rats, rabbits, lizards, and snakes with ease. While she hunted for food, he headed to the nearby cacti, draining whatever water he could. Several cacti were dried up, but he hoped he’d taken enough to make the trip worth his while.

Timid weaved her kills into some netting on the inside of her vest, keeping them from falling and helping mask some of her scent. Occasionally she watched Jet, looking away when he noticed. She hoped the heat would compensate for her red cheeks.

She frowned when Jet told her to turn it around. “Aw, man,” she said.

“Sorry,” Jet said. “Poison wouldn’t want us out further than this.”

She sighed. “Well, I’ll see what more I can get on the way back.”

“We can always go out again,” Jet said.

“Yeah, if Bossy McRed head will let us.”

Jet smiled weakly. “I’m sure he will, if it means we don’t have to carry those cans around and we get some real food.”

“Why do you do this, Jet?” Timid said. “You listen to every word they say, why not take charge? You’d be a fine leader.”

Jet chuckled and shook his head. “Poison’s the leader,” he said. His tone said enough: there would be no more on the subject. As they headed back to the camp, Timid began to feel uncomfortable with him for the first time.

\---

Back at the base camp, Timid immediately skinned and gutted her kills. Ghoul built a fire and used some of the long metal poles he’d taken from the diner as a spit. He roasted the meat with a gentle hum. Timid beamed at everyone’s excitement. “I hope you guys are hungry,” she chirped, helping Ghoul with the meat.

“Timid was amazing,” Jet said. “You should have seen her taking those critters down. She was like a Valkyrie out there.”

“Oh, shush, you!” Timid laughed, shaking her head. “This is just what I’m good at.”

“Hey, as long as it puts food on the table, I’m not complaining,” Poison said. “Are you up for going on more hunting runs?”

“Hell yeah!” Timid beamed. “If it lets me help out and gets me out every so often, I’m more then up for it.”

“Well, then, we’ve got food.” Kobra smiled to himself. He took some of the meat when Ghoul had finished cooking it. He popped it into his mouth and smiled wider. “Not bad.”

Everyone gathered around the meat while Ghoul extinguished the fire with some sand and his boot. The instant the food was in his mouth, he couldn’t stop eating. He hadn’t realized how hungry he had been.

“This is so good,” Jet said. He sighed dreamily, then prodded Timid with his elbow. “Good job.”

She flushed and shook her head, finishing off her portion. “Like I said, it’s no problem,” she said. “I can’t always promise a bountiful run, but it’s better than sitting around.”

Poison leaned back and let out a burp. “So, onto business,” he said. “Where are these locations that D picked out for us?”

Ghoul pulled out the maps. “Here we go,” he said.

Poison frowned, pointing to the market location. “This one’s pretty far in the Zones,” he said.

“D’s hoping that it wouldn’t be worth checking out for any of our enemies,” Ghoul said. “We’d need more security measures, but the good news is it’s a market. There could be plenty to eat that was left inside.”

“Do you really think people would have passed looting it?” Kobra said.

“I’m not sure, but it’s something that could be a perk,” Ghoul said. “Fewer supply runs, more space to keep supplies, all that.” He wiped his sweaty face with his bandana. “These are the two that D told me about, but I know he marked a few more for us to check out.”

“Great, so now we’re shopping for bases,” Jet said, fiddling with his eye patch.

“At least we were given the chance,” Poison said. “I’d rather look for a new base a thousand times over then be caught and hauled into the city.”

Kobra exhaled. “So, I’m more interested in this one,” he said. “At least we’d have something of a headway. We’d be close to D, and maybe we could get everyone ready for the attack. I don’t want to be somewhere Better Living can easily get to.”

“I agree with you on that one,” Poison said. “I say we stay as far out as we can.”

“Tomorrow we should head over and see if anyone’s staked their claim here,” Jet said. “Then we decide from there. Might be a little easier to focus with walls around us.”

“The I guess we go from there,” Ghoul said. “I’ll pull a patrol on my bike and keep watch, we can trade off every few hours.” He climbed to his feet. “It’ll be fine,” he sighed before mounting his motorcycle. The group watched him speed off with tired eyes. 

“Hey,” Poison whispered, leaning back next to Revenge. “You doing all right?”

She shrugged and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Just a lot going on,” she mumbled.

Poison chuckled. “Yeah, always seems to be,” he said. “Moving can be such a pain in the ass. But how are you doing?”

She looked away. “I guess just a lot is going on,” she said.

Poison nodded and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. “I know,” he said. “I just want you to know you can talk to me, anytime you need to.” He kissed her dirt-smudged cheek.

She pulled back and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Hey, none of that,” he said. “Don’t apologize.”

“It’s just all these thoughts,” she said. “This life isn’t what I expected.”

“I’m sorry,” Poison said. “I know I should have shown you, not told you.”

“I don’t think anything could have prepared me for this,” Revenge admitted.

“Well, we’ll get through this, just like we’ve gotten through everything else,” Poison said and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said. She just wanted things to go back to normal. But was this normal? She couldn’t tell.

Poison watched her with sad eyes. It had crossed his mind to leave her somewhere safe, but he couldn’t bear letting her go. He laced their fingers together. “It’ll be okay,” he said, needing to hear it himself.

She let out a low noise and closed her eyes. Poison’s eyes settled on her face, memorizing the pout of her lips, the shape of her eyelashes. He wanted every bit of her burned in his brain. If this was beginning of the end, he would have done anything he could to prevent it. He pulled her closer, trying to imagine the life they would share after this fight was over.

Kobra watched them in silence. He’d had enough of fighting with his brother for petty reasons. The more he fought, the worse it got between them, and he couldn’t bear being responsible for any more unhappiness. His stomach sank, wishing he’d gone on that run with Ghoul. He felt like a fifth wheel, and it made him long for the bright-eyed girl he’d lost. Kobra closed his eyes. He hoped sleep would help fill some of the void that was building in his chest.

\---

Ghoul returned to be relieved by Jet. Jet was relieved by Poison, and by the time Kobra’s run was up, they were ready to check out the locations. “We’ll started with the outermost and head in,” Poison said. “Those would be ideal for this operation.”

“Got it,” Ghoul said, yawning.

Kobra was exhausted. He hadn’t gotten much rest. It’d been a while since he was exposed to the elements, and the last time had been hellish. As he packed their bags, he was thankful that he wouldn’t be up alone. Helping everyone haul their gear to the car made him feel useful. He hated feeling useless when things were at such a crossroads.

“Looks like the last of it,” Kobra said, rolling the sleeping bags tight. “Make sure these don’t come untucked. It’ll waste a lot of space.”

Ghoul nodded and climbed on his bike. “I’m just glad you can carry all that scrap for me.” He chuckled. “I’ll scout ahead and try to radio if something goes wrong.”

Poison took Ghoul’s hand and gripped it tightly. “We’ll see you there,” he said. His words were firm. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind they’d meet up at the base.

Ghoul nodded and waved a quick goodbye before jolting his bike to life. Poison got behind the wheel. Once everyone else was settled, he sped off, trying to keep Ghoul in his line of sight. “Hopefully this will be structurally sound,” he said to no one in particular.

“It’s about a fifty-fifty shot,” Kobra said. “But it’ll be better to stay in the Zones.”

Poison swallowed the comeback he was about to make and focused on the road. “I just hope the old man came through for us again,” he said.

“You know he will,” Jet said. His hand found Timid’s. Even though they hadn’t announced their relationship, he figured people would catch on.

“So what is this place?” Revenge said finally. Her eyes were locked on Poison’s through the rearview mirror.

“It’s a hotel,” he said. “Not a big one, but it should have enough room for all of us.”

“So we’ll be safe there?” 

“I can’t say that,” he said. “I don’t think we’re really safe anywhere out here. But it gives us a better shot then being in the open.”

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo.” Jet smiled at her. “You’re with us, you got the baddest body guards in the Zones.”

Poison smiled. “Exactly,” he said. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen while we’re all together.”

“That attack still happened,” Revenge mumbled under her breath so no one could hear. 

Jet heard, but chose to focus his attention on Timid. “Are you excited?” he whispered.

She managed a smile, a real one. “‘Course I am,” she said. “New place, new kills, I’m hoping we’ll find an even better mix of things to hunt. Are you?”

“It’s hard moving from home,” Jet said, but shook his head. “I know we can make this place even better. I’m hoping the geographic location will make it a lot easier to keep safe.”

“You’re always the optimist, aren’t you?” Timid giggled and quickly kissed his noise.

“I don’t think that’s ever been used to describe me,” he said. “If you think I am, we’ll be okay.”

“I know,” she mumbled. She felt safe against him. It was one of the few things that seemed to be going her way right now.


	22. Never give up the same song and dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally reaching the new base, they find it crumbiling and realize how much work it's going to take to inhabit it. Another stressor the guys don't need but are forced to adapt to. After seeing how bad the zones have become Kobra and Ghoul experience an intense guilt for their state of living.

The drive wasn’t as long as they expected. The small motel looked like it were crumbling down to the foundation. It was surrounded by ruins of other buildings, some that were nothing but cement blocks covered in sand. It wasn’t too far from Route Guano, but it would be a pain to get to. “Must’ve been an old city,” Poison mumbled, getting out of the car.

Kobra followed his brother. “Jet, stay with the girls,” he said. He loosened the fence until it crashed down on the sand and cement. Kobra walked carefully, marking out where a pool had once been. He tried to trace an outline with his feet so no one tripped and got hurt. “We’ll need to put rocks around this,” he said.

Poison checked the rooms. Many were infested with hornets and cockroaches. Some rooms were so filthy that he feared opening the next door. Looking up the stairs, he debated going for it. But when his hand touched the guard rail, it whined and shuddered in protest. “No going upstairs,” he called to Kobra before slinking around to check the other rooms.

None of the doors were locked. Either other ‘Joys had gotten to them before they did, or the mechanical bits involved had just broken down. Ghoul doubled back and pulled up to the entrance next to the Trans. “It looks all clear for about two miles out!” he called to his team.

“I got something!” Poison called to everyone. “I wonder how much is held up at the front desk.” He passed the exploration onto his brother before heading off.

They had four rooms cleaned out by the time Poison came back. A few windows were broken, but it was nothing they couldn’t patch up. “We can stay here until we settle down in another good spot,” Poison said. He parked the Trans Am inside the gates. Once Ghoul took his bike in, Poison hiked the gates back up. “Ghoul, can you strengthen these?” he said.

“Of course I can,” he said with a grin, trying to make sure they were secured in place.

Timid sighed and looked around. “I’m sure there’s plenty I can hunt around here,” she said. “Can I go take a look?”

Poison nodded. “Just be careful,” he said. “Some of the rooms are falling apart, and the rail upstairs isn’t stable, either. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Timid nodded and grabbed her hunting gear before heading out on her own. She enjoyed having Jet with her, but this would have to be done with a delicate touch.

“I’ll get on the radio,” Kobra said. “Give D message and let him know. Then we can get back to this attack.”

Poison groaned. The attack had been so far from his mind. “You’re right, we should go,” he said. He ran a hand through his filthy hair.

“What can I do?” Jet jumped up from the bed he was leaning on.

“Scout with me, I want to be sure this place is safe from head to toe.” He grimaced at the thought of being led into a trap. “Let’s go.”

Revenge watched them walk away, leaving her on a soiled bedsheet. She tucked her knees under her chin and sighed. This was where it got boring.

Poison let the way through the entrance to the lobby, checking every crevice. They were greeted with dust and spiderwebs. The electricity was out, so the elevators were of no use to them. Heading back, they found a small kitchen. It looked like the previous occupant had left everything out. Wasted perishables had been left out on counters and in the dead refrigerator. A few products were still good: canned fruits and vegetables, rice and beans. Jet loaded his arms with as much as he could.

Slowly but surely, the rooms they’d taken as their own began to fill with goodies: game from Timid’s hunts, scrap metal and machines Ghoul retrieved from outdoors, first-aid kids and herbs Kobra found around the premises, and the canned food that Jet had found. The search around the diner lasted until the sun went down, making the sky dance in different colors. But they would all get a better night’s rest, knowing they were in a safe place.

“Looks good,” Poison said, leaning against a wall from exhaustion. “We’ll be fine here tonight. But keep your guns close, just in case.”

“Got it,” Jet yawned. 

He touched Timid’s shoulder. Before she could argue, he led her to the room next door. He was ready to finally let down his guard, even if it was only for a few hours.

Poison sighed and edged his boots off, rubbing his sore feet. They’d calloused over years ago, with no hope of ever returning to soft flesh again. He smiled, watching Revenge undress before carefully pulling her into his lap. He buried his face into her neck. “Don’t go,” he mumbled into her skin.

Ceasing undoing her hair, she looked back at him. “Where would I go?” she said.

“I’ve never met anyone else like you, and I couldn’t replace you, even if I tried my hardest,” Poison said, his hands running down the creases of her skin.

“You don’t have to,” she whispered. She felt like she was locking herself into a cage.

Poison felt her shudder under his hands. He carefully helped expose her skin, his lips tracing where the cloth fell off. “I love you,” he whispered.

She let out a soft noise. “I love you too,” she said. She took his face in her hands and rubbed her thumbs along his filthy cheeks. “Don’t think about things that won’t happen.”

He pulled her into his lap in response, dark, needy kissing passing between them. There was no immediate threat, yet he was pressured by the need to hold and protect her as if his own life depended on it. He’d chosen his path the minute he decided not to let her go to that skeevy strip club. And now no matter how he fought, he was entwined with her.

\--

After hours of intimacy, Revenge sat up, looking at the man at her side. His hair was knotted up with sweat and mud. She carefully ran her fingers through his hair to untangle it. He shifted, but did not wake under her touch. Her eyes were soft, but she struggled to understand why he risked so much in the name of keeping her safe. Silently, she rose from the old mattress and tugged on enough clothing to cover herself. It was a hot, humid night, the kind where the sweat was so thick, you’d think you’d been out running.

Pushing her hair from her face, she looked out the cracked window. Everything was dark and silent. It was almost too much, as if losing the diner had never happened. Were they in denial? Or was it just too much and they needed to reset? Her hands aimlessly braided and undid her hair. Her mind went back to what Timid had said. Was she just taking advantage of the guys? At first, she didn’t mind doing nothing. But if the way Poison felt for her was so strong, and she couldn’t be bothered to even try, how did no one else hate her?

Maybe they all did. The more Poison professed his love, the more she felt herself loathe her being. She looked down at her hands.

“What are you doing?” said a sleepy voice. She jumped and faced Poison.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” she whispered.

“I never sleep too heavily,” Poison said. “Are you all right?”

“Just thinking,” she said, climbing back into bed.

“About?” he whispered.

“The diner, I miss it,” she said. She discarded her clothing; it was too hot to sleep with them on.

“I do, too,” Poison said. He stroked her cheek and wrapped an arm around her. “It’s hard losing home.”

“I never expected it to hurt so much,” she said.

“It’ll lessen with time,” he said. “I know that’s utter bullshit right now, but in a few years it’ll go down.”

“Years?” she said. “Why so long?”

He smiled sadly. “Because that’s how we learn to live with pain,” he said. “It’s a slow process, but the quicker it fades, the less real it becomes. It’ll just haunt you later if you stuff it.”

“You’ve had it happen before?” she said.

He couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle. “Yeah, but that’s a story for another night.” he gently prodded her nose “You need to get some rest.”

She made a face, but rested her head on his chest. Her hair was slick with sweat and matted to his skin, but his body heat was still comforting. Her hands stroked his side as she stared off into nothingness. “I love you,” she said.

\---

The next morning, everyone woke up at odd hours, feeling refreshed from a long-needed sleep. They met in the kitchen over coffee to discuss plans.

“So we’ll go out from here,” Kobra said, sipping his coffee. “I want to see if there’s something of a hospital nearby. Maybe buy some medicines off them?”

“I want to see if there’s someplace closer than Tommy’s so we can buy parts,” Ghoul said. He yawned, already on his third cup. “I’m tired of having to pay that old grouch for shipping costs.”

Poison nodded. “You two head out, then,” he said. “I’ll try to see if there’s any chatter on the waves. Jet, you and Timid go hunting.” 

Timid smiled. “Totally!” she said. She was excited to be seen as a part of the team instead of just an annoyance.

“What about me?” Revenge whispered, her mouth hidden behind the chipped mug.

“You’ll stay with me.” Poison smiled and wrapped an arm around her. “We’ll see if there’s any Drac movement we need to be aware of.”

Ghoul muttered something under his breath that made Kobra snicker. Revenge frowned. “Okay, I guess,” she said. She looked down at her cup, no longer wanting any.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Poison beamed at his team. “All right. I’ll also scout around here and see if we missed anything on our initial search. Sound good?”

Ghoul gulped down his coffee. “On our way,” he said. He and Kobra headed to the Trans Am.

Jet and Timid tried to keep close to the perimeter as they hunted. They talked about bringing a big feast back for everyone to enjoy. Timid even offered to show them how to make the best stew they ever had. Once the couple was out of earshot, Revenge looked at Poison with hard eyes.

“No one takes me seriously,” she said. She crossed her arms. “I want to learn to do something, too.” 

“Revenge, we tried that, remember?” he said. “All you need to do is stay out of trouble and you’re fine.” He smiled and shook his head. “I don’t want to risk losing you, too.”

“So there’s nothing I can do, then?” she said. “I’m just supposed to sit around and be a housewife? I’m just good for giving you a decent fuck?”

“I never said that,” Poison said. “Look at me. I would rather die than lose you.”

Revenge let out a noise and tried to turn away. “Stop it.”

“No,” he hissed. “Look at me, Revenge. You’re not running from this one. You have to listen. You’re precious to me, more than you realize. I need you to stay here.”

She let out a strangled noise. He kissed her, fully and deeply. Within moments her arms were knotted with his, her hands tangled in his hair as they kissed. The idea of listening to the waves or exploring was long gone. All that mattered in the universe was their bodies, and their lips passionately connecting.

\---

The hunt was fairly dull, much to Timid’s disdain. But what they lacked in kills was made up for in kisses. She couldn’t stop smiling as they lurked around the rocks, searching for tiny lizards. They had been her best bet in this area. But it did concern her that there was no steady food source in this location.

Jet tried to keep her in good spirits. One bad day didn’t mean the base was useless. “Come on, let’s try to get some water, too?” he said, slicing a few cacti open. Without running water like they had back at the diner, finding water was that much more important.

“I think we can dry out some of this meat into a jerky,” Timid said. “Pack it with a few herbs so it isn’t so unbearable.” She tried to smile, but she didn’t want to lose what little respect she had because there wasn’t enough food to go around.

“At least we get to eat,” Jet said. “I’m sure the guys will pick up plenty of Pup so we can stock the base. Add in what you’re able to catch, and we’re golden.”

She nudged him playfully. “Why are you so good at being like this?” she said.

“Have you met my teammates?” he teased, filling another flask with water. “Nah, it’s too easy to let everything implode on you if you don’t see the bright side.”  
“Still, I find myself asking that almost every time we’re together,” she said. “No matter what happens, you’re happier than I’ve ever seen someone out here.”

Jet shrugged. “It’s the only way I know how to live,” he said, lacing their fingers together. “Who knows, maybe I’ll rub off on you.” He winked at her and laughed harder then he should have.

She watched him in silence, noticing the curve of his smile, his broad shoulders, the way that he walked. She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you’re mine,” she said as they walked.

\---

Kobra and Ghoul blasted Mad Gear as they drove. The lands were plentiful with abandoned buildings and plenty of spots to hide, places that would take Better Living years to map out. Kobra couldn’t help but smile. Ghoul air-guitared to the music as they headed for the nearest settlement.

“What do we need to pick up, then?” Ghoul said as the song came to a close.

“Food, water, necessities, all that crap.” Kobra grinned at him. “Maybe some meds. Do you know what parts we need right off?”

“The Trans is in pretty good shape, I just want to to know if we can pick anything up before it becomes urgent.” He leaned back in his seat. “I can’t afford the Cs Tommy charges anymore.” 

Kobra shook his head. “He may be pricey, but goddamn does Chow Mein know how to get the goods, and get them fast.” 

Ghoul grinned. “I gotta give him that, but I think it went to his head, like D.”

“Now don’t be shit-talking Dr. D on me,” Kobra teased. “You know he’s done us good, even with this spot.” 

“Oh yeah, I’m not saying he’s not good, I’m saying it gets to his head,” Ghoul said. “He does us right, even if he does hit me too much.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t mouth off,” Kobra said. He yelped when Ghoul playfully struck him. “Hey! Hey! I’m driving here,” Kobra said, laughing.

“Yeah, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to get popped now and again,” Ghoul said. But he stopped when the car swerved.

The settlement was sparse, more than they were used to. Maybe a dozen people were trading goods. Kobra slipped out, leaving his helmet inside in exchange for his sunglasses. He didn’t need them drawing more attention than they would already. Ghoul followed his example. One vendor had a decent supply of pup; Kobra bought nearly half of it, declining help to get it back to the car. He was glad that he parked further out, so no one saw their car. Just because they were illegally trading didn’t mean these people wouldn’t sell them out for the right amount.

There was very little water, so they bought as much as they could. Ghoul left some for the sake of others. He even pressed a few carbons into a beggar’s hand. The kid couldn’t have been older than ten and had already lost a limb. Moments like that made bile rise in his throat. How could Better Living do these things and leave the kids alone to fix it?

Someone was selling medicinal herbs, but it was nothing Kobra hadn’t already put together himself. He bought a few for the seller’s sake. The woman looked like a skeleton, with skin barely hanging on her frame. This was far from what they were used to seeing, but it was a reality that they knew existed all over the Zones. They headed back to the Trans and loaded up the last of the goods before getting inside.

“That was something,” Ghoul said finally.

“I feel like shit,” Kobra said, revving up the car engine and peeling away from the settlement. “I know it’s bad, but...”

“Could be Better Living,” Ghoul said. “I heard they’ve raised taxes on all exports. They’re literally starving these people from the inside out.

“Probably hoping we’ll come burst into the city and try to stop it.” Kobra laughed bitterly.

“Still isn’t right. Letting all these people die, over what? Money?”

“Eh, there’s plenty they do that ain’t right,” Kobra said. “It’s bullshit, and it seems like the more we do, the worse it gets for everyone else.”

“Tell that to Poison,” Ghoul said. “He’ll give you the ol’ never give up speech and threaten to unleash one of D’s rants on you.”

Kobra chuckled. “I’m not surprised, honestly. He needs us to stay stoked up so he has a force to lead.” If they lost the fire, there was no point to saving the Zones. But at this rate, there wouldn’t be any part of the Zones left to save.

The grim realization floated over them as they headed home. It felt like they couldn’t get back fast enough. Maybe they were just hiding from the truth; maybe they’d been fighting a losing battle all along. Ghoul shifted and closed his eyes. He couldn’t even stand to look outside. The sands had become a tomb, one that was ready to claim their lives any second.


	23. Backfires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After adapting to unwanted changes, the group seems to fall into a safe lull. With Timid's help they've been able to let go of the worries of starving, but with romance forming, and distractions pop up, disaster strikes as another member of their team is taken down.

Jet and Timid were the first to return to the motel. They laid their kills down, Jet placing the canteens and flasks of water next to the meat. Timid skinned everything as soon as she could. She was grateful she had a kitchen to work with, but it was nothing compared to the diner’s. She decided to use the rabbits and rodents in a soup, so they were a little easier to stomach. She threw a few herbs into the soup, hoping they’d cover the taste of rodent meat.

Jet smiled, hovering over her. “Looks good,” he whispered his hands resting on the curve of her waist.

She let out a contented noise. “I hope so,” she said. “It tastes like ass unless you can cover some of it up.” She threw in a few more herbs. “I hope these help.”

“I’m sure they will.” He smiled and linked his arms around her. “But trust me, this is beyond spoiling us.”

“Aren’t you affectionate today?” she said.

“I don’t get enough time with you,” he said. “We’re either running or hunting. We need some time alone, too.”

She laughed. “We sleep together, isn’t that enough?”

“No,” he said, his tone becoming serious. “I want to do things right, give you the things you deserve. And it’s fucking hard to do that out here.”

“You’re so sweet,” she whispered and took his hands, pressing kisses to his knuckles. “Just the thought means so much.”

“This is what you deserve,” he said. “All guys should treat you like you’re a queen.”

Timid nearly melted when he kissed her. Every time they kissed, it was like the first time all over again. She never could get over him. Her heart thudded in her chest as she returned the kiss, her arms snaking around his middle. When they parted, she let out a small noise of protest, but turned back to her cooking. Her mind was in a whirl.

“You’re a really good kisser,” she said.

“So are you,” he said, his hand resting at her side. “I want to take you out tonight. Just us.” 

“Really? You think we’d be allowed?”

“Nothing wrong with us going on a walk together,” he said.

Timid smiled to herself. Everything seemed to be was coming together for the first time in months. By the time Poison and Revenge came in, she was alight with happiness. She smiled and waved at the pair. “We didn’t catch as much as I hoped,” she said. “But I’m trying to work with what I can.”

“Do what you can,” Poison said. His face was flushed, his clothes soaking wet. 

“Looks like you had fun,” Timid said. She chuckled and shook her finger at them playfully before turning back to her work.

Revenge tied her hair up and went to inspect the meat. She couldn’t help but make a face at the skinned and gutted flesh. But she had already learned to never turn up her nose at food.

Poison sought out Jet. “So everything went smoothly?” he said.

“Oh yeah,” Jet said. “Not too much of the furry variety out here, but there was plenty of lizard meat for the taking.” He offered Poison a flask. “Picked up some more water, too.”

“Any word from Kobra and Ghoul?” Poison said, taking a drink.

“Nah, but you know those two. Probably got stuck in some conversation with a vendor. End up bringing home extra supplies, all that.” Jet took a swig himself. “Find anything here?”

“Nah, just more inaccessible rooms. It looks like a good part of the building was turned into a bunker. Totally trashed up there. Supplies gone, no bodies.” He shut his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t know what I would’ve done if there were.”

“We do what we always do, try to bury them and move on,” Jet said. “And don’t beat yourself up, you’re not a superhero.”

Poison smirked. “That’s where I have you all fooled,” he said. “You see, I really am.”

Jet looked knowingly at Poison, but shook his head. “I know, man.” He put his hand on Poison’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Everything is going to work out, you’ll see. Do you need to radio up D and tell him you’re losing your nerve?”

Poison shook his head. “Never. I’m just worried about who’s going to make it out of this fight alive.” His eyes set on Revenge. “What kind of life we can really have if we ever beat them? Would there be any sense of normalcy again?”

Jet smiled. “Normal is relative. Don’t think too much about it.”

Poison laughed. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s just these nightmares getting to me.” He shook his head, then walked up to Revenge and wrapped his arms around her.

Jet watched his friend with sad eyes. He knew this overthinking would be the death of him. But he perked up when he heard Kobra and Ghoul returning home. He headed outside to help them carry the supplies inside. But something was off. Jet couldn’t put his finger on it; maybe it was the way they wouldn’t look him in the eye. He opened his mouth to question them, but Timid burst outside.

“Come on, guys, we got food!” she said.

Ghoul shrugged. “Sounds good, I guess,” he mumbled before heading inside.

Kobra stayed back to finish loading their supplies inside. “I think that’s the last of it,” he sighed.

“You all right, man?” Jet said.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kobra said. He pushed his blonde hair back before trudging inside, his head ducked low.

Jet’s eyes followed him. If it was something urgent, they needed to know. “How’s it taste?” he said, trying to hold back on questioning them until after they’d eaten.

“It’s fine,” Ghoul said in a sd voice that made everyone do a double take. “I said it’s fine,” he snapped at their reaction.

Poison ducked his head down and kept eating. “You okay there, bro?” he said.

“I’m fine,” Ghoul said. “I promise you all can calm down. I’m just tired.” He gulped down the last of his food and stormed off.

Kobra leaned against the wall, picking at his food. “Sorry, guys,” he mumbled. “Jet, you can have what’s left of mine.” He set his bowl down and headed back to the rooms.

Jet took the food, watching the doorway where Kobra disappeared. Weren’t they happy about the new base? That they were together? He sighed and finished the rest of the food. He couldn’t dictate how those two felt, but it made him uneasy.

“Timid and I are going walk around to keep an eye out for patrol,” Jet said. “Just wanted to give you a heads-up, Boss Man.” He laughed weakly.

“If you want to,” Poison said. “I think we’re pretty safe up here. But if you need to get out of here for a bit, be my guest.”

Jet took Timid’s hand when she finished eating, leaving three bowls stacked for the others to clean up. The sun was starting to go down, so it wasn’t nearly as hot as when they were hunting.

“What’s up with Ghoul and Kobra?” Timid said.

“Must’ve been a hard run,” Jet said. “I don’t know. Unless they want to speak up, there’s no way to know.” He sighed. “I’m worried about them.”

“Do you think they’ll end up speaking up?” she said.

“I’m sure of it, it’s just a matter of when,” he said. “Most of us try to speak up. At least, I think we do.”

After walking a good distance, he settled down in the sand and patted the spot next to him. Timid joined him, tucking her knees under her form so she could lean against him.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen,” she whispered.

“Bad things will always happen,” he said. No matter how much we plan and try to prepare, that’s just life. We’ll all end up hurting each other even if we don’t mean to.” He tucked some stray hair from her face and smiled. “But it’s okay.”

“You’re so wise,” she said. “Maybe you should take over for Dr. D if he ever needs a break.”

“Oh God, I don’t want to even think about that,” he said. “I’m not that tough.”

“I think you’re a lot tougher then you think you are,” Timid said. “Don’t doubt yourself so much.”

“Whatever am I to do?” Jet teased. “How could I doubt myself when someone so amazing thinks so much of me?” He melted when she kissed him.

“Got you,” she said. “You need to trust me on this, Jet Star. There’s so much more to you then you let out.”

His eyes were transfixed on hers, his heart racing. “Timid, you’re breathtaking, in every way possible,” he said. “I don’t know what you could see in me, but goddamn, am I the luckiest man alive or what?”

She shoved him playfully. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” she said.

“Seems it has.” He grinned at her before taking her face in his hands, leaning in for another kiss.

“I swear to God, Jet.” Timid laughed and swatted at his face. “You’re too mushy for your own good.”

“It’s nice to just wind down with you,” he said. “I think we need some more time alone.”

Timid nodded. “I didn’t realize how stressed out I was until now,” she said. “It’s so weird to think there’s so much going on out there.”

“That’s why it’s so easy to lose yourself,” Jet said. “Let yourself think you’re safe.” He rested his chin on her head.

“That’s a scary thought.”

“Yeah, life out here is scary sometimes—but enough about that.” He kissed her again.

\---

Kobra couldn’t sleep. He’d been tossing and turning. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were those weak faces. He had to do something about them or he’d never have another moment of peace in his entire life. Had they been selfish? Had they given too much thought to what they needed and not the needs of others? They had a good life, especially for the Zones. But the rude awakening that people were starving to death make him feel like a greedy fuck.

He sat up, sweat pouring down his skin. He felt trapped in this room, in his own body. He couldn’t help but wonder if that woman had a home to go to at night. Some place with walls and not just a flimsy sheet pulled over a—

No, he couldn’t go there.

He gasped for breath, his chest tightening. It was like when he was young and he snuggled too tightly in a blanket, fresh from the dryer. His hands shook as he gripped the windowsill, trying to steady himself. He stared at his reflection, pale as the moon that seemed so far away. He’d beg his brother if he had to. After seeing the dead eyes of the Zone dwellers, he was certain they’d face a fate worse than hell if they didn’t try to help them.

\---

Poison didn’t want to get out of bed. He was having a hard enough time trying to get this motel to be livable, and now his brother insisted on being more charitable. But he couldn’t get the Trans Am as often as he needed to get supplies, so there was nothing he could do but wait. He sighed and groaned, his hands groping for his partner. It had been too hot for them to lock around each other like they usually did, so he was trying to make due the only way he could.

He felt the sweat-soaked skin of her thigh, his fingers stroking along her tattoos. He had grown so close to her, he knew where every mark began and ended, and the trail of little bumps and moles that hid under the colorful ink. Each one was a little secret he shared with her. He hoped that no one had known her better, but he let the thought float away. He had to trust that she wasn’t that person anymore. But the nightmares floated up more often then he cared to admit.

“Morning,” he whispered.

Revenge rolled over and groaned, smiling back at him. “Hey babe,” she said.

“You’re beautiful.” He rubbed his knuckles down her cheek and jawline. “When the sun hits you like this, you come alive.”

Revenge laughed, pulling the stained pillow over her head. “Get out,” she teased.

“I’ll compliment you all I want,” he said, smacking her rear.

She stuck her tongue out. “Hey, hands off the goods,” she said.

“Oh no, whatever I will I do?” He gasped in mock shame. “I guess I’ll just have to be punished.”

Revenge sat up and threw a discarded sock at him. “You’re going to get us caught, and then you’ll have to explain why you’re so weird!” she said.

“Oh, they know I’m weird,” he said. “They know all too well, and for you, my dear, I hate to inform you but weirdness is contagious.” He smirked.

She burst out laughing. “Oh my God!” She wheezed as she tried to inhale.

Poison put his hands on his hips, striking a superhero pose. “You called, my dear?”

“Okay, now you’re the god of the Zones?” she said, going to get dressed.

“Yes, yes, I am.” He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from changing. “And now you can’t escape me.”

She looked up at him. “What got you so excited?” she said.

“Maybe I’m becoming crazy from stress,” he said, kissing her cheek before releasing her.

“It’s okay, I like having some silly time,” she said.

He smiled as he watched her dress. “Can’t be stressed out and strict all the time, can I?” he said.

She shook her head and helped him change into his running gear. “Nope, gotta take a break at least sometimes.” She rubbed her nose against his and pressed their foreheads together.

“I love you,” he whispered before kissing her.

She let out a pleased noise. “I love you, too.”

“Come with me today,” he whispered. “I want to have you by my side.” His hands stroked along her forearms, taking her hands gently.

“Are you sure?” she said, shocked.

“You want to help more?” he said. “I’ll have you come pick up supplies with me. I don’t need someone covering my back. If it goes well, we’ll do it more often.”

Revenge nodded and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she said.

“But you have to promise me you’ll be extra careful, okay?” he said. “I don’t want you getting hurt. I couldn’t bear it.”

“I’ll have you with me,” she said. “There’s no way anything would happen.”

He tried to smile back, but nodded instead. “Get a jacket, then, and I’ll take you out.”

Poison grabbed the food they’d need for the trip. He made sure they’d have enough in case of a breakdown, or worse, if they had to hide from a patrol. He made up his mind that he wouldn’t engage any Dracs unless there was no other choice. He would do whatever it took to make sure she came home without so much as a scratch on her.

“There you are” he said when she came down, wearing a jean jacket. “Okay, so we’re just going to run to the station. D has a few things for us.”

He started the car up in silence. His hand rested on hers once they started driving. He needed to know she was there, that she was safe. But no matter how tight he held her, he feared she’d slip away and disappear in the sands.

“See, not too bad?” he said, more to himself then her.

“Yeah, it’s just really bright out here.” She squinted, shading her eyes with her free hand.

He flipped down his sunglasses from the driver’s mirror and handed them over. “That’ll fix it,” he said.

“Much better,” she said. “So this is most of it?”

“Well, sort of,” he said. “Let’s hope you don’t get to see the other half of it.” 

She nodded. “I don’t think I could handle a fight,” she said. “I just can’t stand sitting around anymore. You’re like saving everyone and all I do is paint my nails.” She managed a weak laugh.

Poison looked over with soft eyes. “I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he said. “I don’t know what I would do if you disappeared.”

“Hey, I’ve stuck around this long, haven’t I?” she said.

“Yeah, but I’ve known where you were the entire time,” he said. “And with Kobra being taken and Jet losing his eye…I don’t know how to keep you safe anymore.”

She looked away. “I don’t know what to say,” she said.

He shook his head. “I don’t want this mission to be focused on these thoughts,” he said. “I’m going to teach you the basics, and we’ll figure a way to keep you safe as they go on. This is my job, keeping you safe.”

She brought their hands to her lips. “You got a lot of people to worry about,” she said. “I’m proud of you.”

“I’m glad,” he said. He chuckled and shook his head. She had that way of pulling him back to earth when he was worried.

Revenge watched the land float past the windows. It seemed to blur together. “How do you manage to remember where anything is out here?” she said.

“You drive it enough, you spot differences,” he said. “One reason we keep so many maps around. The better we can see it in our minds, the less need we have to lug them around.”

“Oh, I couldn’t imagine that.” Maps were even worse than books for her. It all just looked like a whole lot of nothing.

“After so much practice, you get used to it,” he said. “Like anything else out here.”

They laced their fingers together, doing their best to trust that the desert would be kind to them, at least for one day. With all the misfortune they faced, all they could do was throw themselves at the mercy of the Zones and hope someone would hear their desperate cries of need.

\---

Getting to D’s wasn’t as bad as Poison had anticipated. He was relieved when the station came into view, breaking and killing the engine before getting out. “We’re here, old man,” Poison announced with a grin.

Peering out his window, D motioned for Pony to help them with the supplies. Pony rolled out with some carpentry supplies. “Okay, so D found these in Zone Four, so it won’t be like Tommy’s prices,” he said. “It’ll be about 350 Cs.” 

Poison grumbled, but pulled the slips of paper from his pocket and paid him. “Still an arm and a leg,” he said.

Revenge leaned on the hood of the Trans Am, trying to memorize how they handled everything. If she could learn to master supply runs, maybe things would settle down a bit.

Poison nodded for her to come over and help, loading the lumber and nails into the back of the car. “Thanks for this,” he said to Pony, who smiled sweetly.

“You know where to find us if you need us.” He winked before doing a quick spin, then headed back into the building.

Poison loaded up the last few panels, the equipment sticking out of the backseat at weird angles, before slamming the trunk. “Now we can get to work.” He winked at Revenge.

Revenge dusted off her hands. “So you guys save the Zones and you know how to fix everything up?” she said. “Not bad.” 

He grinned. “Gotta be a jack of all trades, master of none.”

She gave him a weird look. “What does that even mean?”

“We all have to be able to do a bit of everything to survive.” He got in the front seat, starting the car up once she was inside. “You’ll get there before you know it.”

“You’re like really smart,” she said. 

Poison couldn’t help but snort. “‘Course I am, that’s why I’m the leader,” he said.

The drive back to the motel was quiet. He couldn’t help but relax. For once, it seemed like everything was going to go his way. And he couldn’t be happier.

When he pulled back up to the motel, he was helping Revenge inside when he felt an odd chill. They went to the lobby to find Kobra panicking and hovering over Ghoul. Blood was everywhere. Poison’s face lost its color. He ran over as fast as he could. Vicious cuts ran deep into Ghoul’s face, forming a Glasgow smile. Bile rose in Poison’s throat. He was shaking. How could this have happened?


	24. Blood under the scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking care of Ghoul has become a priorty, which of course is more of a pain in the ass then expected. He refuses to sit still for even a moment to rest, driving Kobra more crazy then usual. Which of course has it's concenquences.

Poison shook as he looked to his brother for answers. “What happened?” he rasped.

“We headed to the market and these guys just wouldn’t leave us alone.” Kobra was panting, his sweaty face bright red. “I had to go check on an order and found him like this. They must’ve been the ones—”

“Drac or ‘Joy?” Poison demanded, rage throbbing through his body.

“‘Joy.” Kobra grimaced. “He blacked out on the way back to the base. I’ve been trying to find a way to stitch all this up, but it doesn’t look good.”

“What are the options?”

“Herbs to try to keep it from getting infected. Put him on rest ‘til it scabs. I can try sewing it up, but there’s no promise they’ll hold. He has to eat sometime.” Kobra frowned. “What’s the order?”

Poison swallowed, looking from his brother to his injured friend. “Herbs,” he croaked. “I don’t want this going back and forth and his blood ending up infected with some shit.”

Kobra nodded and left for a moment. When he returned, he held a small bowl of ground herbs. He carefully applied them, watching Ghoul twitch. He winced. “The bleeding isn’t as bad as when I found him,” he said.

“I can’t imagine,” Poison muttered. “Let’s get him to his room. Careful now.”

Kobra nodded, taking part of his weight. Revenge showed up to help carry Ghoul to his bed. When he was laid on his bed, Poison stripped him of the running gear. The blood had soaked into his clothing, reminiscent of when Jet had lost his eye. “Revenge, go wash this,” he mumbled, handing her the vest and shirt. She headed off. He’d never really given her orders before, but this wasn’t the time to be concerned about playing housewife.

Poison sighed and tried his best to clean up the blood. He glanced at his brother at times, his eyes tired. When he saw the bloodstains on Ghoul’s body, he couldn’t help but feel queasy. It wasn’t the blood that got to him, but the coldness of the act.

“I wish I was there, I wish I could have done more,” Kobra said. He looked down, unable to handle the look on Poison’s face. “I feel so fucking useless.”

Poison looked at his brother sadly. “I feel the same way,” he said.

Kobra swallowed. “So where do we go from here?” he said. His voice was ragged.

“We put the pieces back together and keep heading forward,” Poison said. “We’ll take care of him, and make sure he gets out of this one.”

Kobra nodded. “As long as we keep putting topical on the wounds, it should protect him,” he said. “But it’s going to scar, badly.”

“This life never guaranteed that we’d be pretty,” Poison murmured, brushing some of the hair from Ghoul’s face. “Do you think he’ll be out much longer?”

“I’d assume so.” Kobra sat down. “How did the run go?”

“We got some wood, nails, tools,” Poison said. “Maybe while he’s out, we should focus what we can on rebuilding this place. I’ll switch out with Jet on runs. You need to keep an eye on him.”

Kobra sighed. “Got it. This is going to be another long one, bro.”

Poison couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly. “You never call me bro.”

“First time for everything, I guess.” Kobra shrugged and wiped some sweat from Ghoul’s body. “Maybe I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Join the club, we have cookies and punch.” Poison snorted and stood up. “Did you tell Jet yet?”

“Nah, never really had the chance. I was hoping one of you’d stumble on us. Didn’t want to leave Ghoul alone.”

“Right choice,” Poison said. “I’m going to go ahead and let him know.” He hugged his brother tightly before heading out. He never wanted something like this to happen, and now that it had, he was back in that dark hole that he’d almost escaped.

\---

Jet rushed to the motel as soon as he found out, dropping the kills he and Timid had made right on the floor. He started to shake when he saw Ghoul. “Fuck,” he hissed.

“Exactly,” Kobra said. “Seems we can’t catch a break anymore, right?” He chuckled bitterly.

Jet balled his fists. “Goddamn, why the ever loving fuck is everyone gunning for us?” he said.

“They always have been.” Poison’s quiet voice came from the doorway. “We’d just been so far ahead that we missed it. I had no idea that the ‘Joys were gunning for us, too. Any chance they were sleepers?”

“Didn’t seem to be, not like the stories I’ve heard,” Kobra said. “It was just a bunch of guys acting like jerks. I had no idea.”

“I wouldn’t have, either,” Poison said.

Kobra winced and tried to shake off the memories. “Looks like we’re going to have some more fuckers to deal with,” his said in a low voice. “Just what we needed.”

Jet winced at Kobra’s tone. It was rare he spoke that way. “We’ll handle it the way we always have,” he said.

“Is that enough?” Kobra said. “Everything is changing. If we don’t adapt, our way of life will go extinct.”

“He’s right,” Poison said. “We need to talk to D and find out how to change.”

“I doubt even D would know,” Kobra admitted, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to tell us. We have to find out for ourselves.”

“Then you’re in favor of focusing on our needs instead of giving out supplies?” Poison locked his eyes on his brother.

Kobra frowned. “Just because a group of assholes are fucking with us doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give back when we’re able.”

Poison sighed. “Well, I guess we can touch on that another time, then,” he said. They didn’t need an argument while Ghoul was in this state.

Kobra’s eyes softened. He was thinking similar thoughts. “You’re right.” He looked over Ghoul, his eyes sad. But he wouldn’t back down; after all, it was what Ghoul wanted, too.

\---

When Ghoul awoke, he wasn’t interested in trying to eat. He was just exhausted. Everything hurt. They had hold him what happened, but it was just a blur to him. He even wondered if he’d been drugged. They tried patching him up with bandages, but the wounds just stung worse. And they were starting to heal up, making them unbearably itchy to boot.

“Hey, man,” Kobra said, checking on him for the third time in an hour. “We’re trying to find some needles so we can test your blood.”

Ghoul groaned and crossed his arms in protest.

“I know you don’t want to do it, but I want to be sure you’re all right.” He laid a hand on Ghoul’s forehead to check his temperature. As long as Ghoul didn’t have a fever, they were in the clear. He withdrew his hand and took a few notes. “We’ll have you back on your feet before you know it.”

He left Ghoul to his privacy, heading down to see if the guys were back with the supplies. He hadn’t gotten much sleep since he needed to keep an eye on everything. As annoyed as Ghoul was with him, he was trying his best to keep things afloat. Another group of runners had claimed they were the new leaders of the rebellion. They said that would punish everyone who had failed them, including the Four and Dr. D. Wincing at the declaration of war, Kobra looked at his to-do list for the day. As long as he could keep himself busy, he wouldn’t ruminate too much on the war outside their doorstep.

Kobra checked to see if any lizard jerky was left. He’d skipped breakfast today. Luckily, he had saved his portions for an emergency. He tried to focus on eating and not on the static forming in his brain. He looked up, trying to avoid the feeling of dread when Jet and Poison finally arrived. He didn’t think he could handle someone else getting hurt. “Hey, guys,” he said.

“Well, bad news is we couldn’t get the medical supplies.” Poison groaned and rubbed his neck. “Good news is, we got a deal on Pup.”

Jet nodded, unloading the back of the car. “Yeah, we got a good price on bulk,” he said as he carried a pallet of cans inside.

“Should keep us covered for a bit.” Poison groaned as he hauled a pallet out of the truck. “At least something good happened.” He grinned.

Kobra hung back, picking up the cans that fell out when the pallets were lifted. His right arm full, he closed the trunk with his free arm. “Well, better than nothing.” He smiled, helping everyone unload the goods.

“How’s Ghoul?” Poison didn’t look up from his work.

“Same as usual,” Kobra said. “He’s pissed that I keep checking in.”

“At least he hasn’t lost that.” Poison rolled his eyes. “I’m glad he’s still himself. That could have fucked with him bad.”

“I think we’re more shook up then he is,” Kobra said. “Who wants radio duty for the rest of the night?”

“I got it.” Jet raised his free hand. “Timid and I can take care of him.”

Kobra smiled and gave him a side-eye. “Having fun over there?”

“Don’t be an ass.” Jet laughed. “It’s good, I mean, I’m having fun.”

“‘Bout time.” Kobra smiled. “I’m happy for you, man. Really.”

“Enough gossip,” Poison said. “If you gotta run your mouths, at least help me put this away.”

“Don’t be a drama queen, we’re helping.” Jet rolled his eyes as he knelt down, filling up as many cupboards as he could.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m the dramatic one,” Poison huffed. “We are happy for you, though. I know you’ve been off a lot with her, but I don’t want you thinking we don’t care.”

“Thanks, man.”

Kobra smiled. “I’m glad we’re still chill,” he said. “I was getting worried with all the craziness going on. But we’re still us.”

“Sometimes I’m convinced that’s a miracle,” Poison said.

Jet grimaced. “Let’s try to get through the day without getting too sad. I could use a break from it.”

“Eh, seems like it’s always there,” Kobra said as he finished packing up the food. “Maybe that’s just the Zones getting to us.” He smiled. “Won’t be going hungry any time soon.”

“I’m going to go check on Ghoul,” Poison said. He gave a half wave to his brother and Jet before leaving the room. He placed two cigarettes between his lips and lit them. 

“Hey, man,” Poison said.

Ghoul looked up and took the cigarette when it was offered to him. “Hey. You here to babysit me now?”

“Nah.” He exhaled smoke. “Nothing like that. Just wanted to say hey, let you know we were back and all. Save you from the tyranny of non-smoking that is my brother.”

Ghoul laughed. “I was about to lose it there. Don’t tell me you get to put more holes in me?”

Poison shook his head. “No needles at the med tent.” He pulled up one of the chairs. “You get a break.”

“Thank fuck!” Ghoul said, puffing away. “I’m tired of Kobra checking for something that isn’t there.”

“Eh, shouldn’t last too long,” Poison said. “Once he’s absolutely sure you’re fine, he’ll fuck off like always. He just wanted to check.”

“It’s driving me nuts, man.” Ghoul ran a hand through his hair. “I feel like I’m part robot and he’s checking me for bugs.”

“I think he just wishes he could have done more when they fucked you up. Overcompensating now.” Poison snuffed out his cigarette on the tile floor, stepping it out.

“I get that,” Ghoul said. “One reason I haven’t tried to get in the way too much. I’m just tired of it, man. I’d rather sleep for a few weeks.” He moved his jaw back and forth, prodding at the bandages on his cheeks. “How bad did it look?”

Poison grimaced. They hadn’t told him because he had other things to worry about. “Don’t worry about it, man. It’s not like it’s a big thing.”

Ghoul laughed. “I’m worried about how you’ll all avoiding it more than anything.”

“Well, then you’ll just have to wait till you’re better to find out.” He chuckled, lighting up another smoke.

“How’s the old existential crisis?”

“Well, you know, I wouldn’t mind disappearing for a bit,” Poison admitted, adjusting himself on the chair. “Nothing I can do about it for now, though, so might as well kick my boots up and enjoy the ride.”

“You need a break.” Ghoul finished his smoke, motioning for another.

“Eh, this place would fall apart without me.” He shook his head. “Maybe once we’re done fixing everything, and doing everything else we need to, I’ll take a week to get some sleep and eat a bit more.”

“Sounds like what I’m doing now. Want to trade?” Ghoul laughed, but stopped when he felt his skin tear.

“I’ll pass on that one,” Poison said. “It’s even worse when I try to relax. I’ll have time once we’re done with this attack and all of the other crap I have going on.” He hung his head for a moment before rising. “I’ve bugged you enough. Just hurry up and feel better, yeah?”

“I feel better. Convince Dr. Kobra to let me go.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Poison scratched at his head as he left. He had to check on Revenge and see if Timid did any repairs today. He knew she was supposed to go hunt, but they needed to get this base up and running as soon as they could. He headed down the long stretch of pavement to his room, opening the door carefully. He smiled, seeing Revenge in bed, and crawled up behind her. “Got you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her ear.

“Mm? Hey.” She sat up sleepily. “When did you get back?”

“Not too long ago. I unloaded supplies and went to check on Ghoul.” 

“How is he?” she said.

“Better, stubborn.” He chuckled. “He wants to be freed. Come back to work and all. I’d be happy for him to, I just doubt Kobra would be all right with it.”

She smiled and took his hand, her fingers running over the leather of his glove. “I’m glad you’re home safe.”

“You always are.”

“I always worry about you.” She chuckled and laced their fingers. “After everything that’s happened, it still makes me happy to see you home.”

“Good, ‘cause you better get used to it.” He snickered and pulled her into a kiss.

“Someone’s happy.” She pulled back long enough to press a kiss to his cheek. “I like this side to you.”

“Are you implying there’s a side to me you don’t like?” he said.

She grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Oh, come on, that is just not fair,” he said.

“Fair doesn’t matter between us.” She laughed and pulled him into her lap, stroking his skin gently.

“All right, all right you win,” he said.

“So, did anything eventful happen?” she said. He tended to leave out some of the more violent details.

“Not today, promise.” He offered her his pinky, smiling when she laced hers with him. “It was just a standard run.”

“No word on those ‘Joys?” Her expression turned serious.

He couldn’t help but groan. “Nothing. We’ve gotten a few general threats, but it’s hard to tell if it’s them, or another group, or even a copycat.”

“Are there really people who would do that?” she said.

“Yeah, there’s plenty of history behind it.” Poison sighed before sitting up, popping the joints in his neck. “We’ve had plenty of groups trying to be us, or Better Living. I mean, the history goes back for years. People would copy shootings and serial killers. I don’t get it, but it happened.”

She watched with worried eyes. “Sounds like it’s a lot to worry about. Maybe you should take a break?”

He tried to smile. “I wish it was that simple. But sometimes you just gotta worry.” He sighed and took her face. “Why don’t I worry and you smile?”

She couldn’t help but grin. “You’re doing that thing where you’re too nice.”

“Good, I like being too nice to you” His hand floated down her side, resting on her outer thigh. “I like coming home to this kind of happiness.”

She rolled her eyes and gently pushed him, laughing when he took her wrist and pulled her into his lap. “Goddamn you, Party Poison!”

“Ooh, we’re using full names, then?” He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She leaned against him, tucking her hair over her right shoulder. “Sounds like this is all getting better.”

“I hope it is. I’ll be able to relax more when we have more done.”

“There’s always going to be more, Poison,” she said. “Sometimes you gotta force yourself to enjoy what you have.”

He groaned. “You sound like a self-help book.”

She laughed. “I learned from the best.”

“It’s my job,” he said. “Though it sounds better coming from you.”

“That’s a bald-faced lie and we both know it,” she said.

He held her tightly and closed his eyes. “I wouldn’t lie to you like that.”

\---

Jet usually wasn’t up for listening to the waves. It tended to be duller then dirt, but with Timid around it was his favorite job. He smiled, watching her trying to cook something with lizard and Pup. He was good with anything she wanted to do. He was just glad they had someone else helping out. Let alone that she was his girl.

“You all right over there?” Timid called when she caught his eye.

“Beyond all right.” Jet laughed.

Timid smiled. “I’m glad to see someone in a good mood,” she said.

“Yeah, well, between D’s report and that deal we got, finally seems like shit is coming together.” He tweaked the dial. More static rang out.

“Well, the happier, the better.” She chuckled as she dished up her concoction for him.

Jet grinned, digging in as soon as he could. “Thanks,” he mumbled between bites. Pup was much tastier served hot. They just didn’t have the time to heat it up before.

“No problem.” She laughed as he scarfed her food down. It was one of the best feelings she’d experienced.

He gulped hard. “So D thinks the trainees are going to be ready soon,” he said. “He wants all of us to go and see them, maybe plan a date for the attack.”

“Really?” she said. “Wow, it feels like it’s been so long. It’s great it’s finally set.”

Jet nodded. “I can tell everyone’s on pins and needles about it. It’ll help once it’s done.”

“It’d be nice if we could regain more of the Zones,” Timid said. “Do you think it would work?”

He looked up at her. “‘Course I do. If I didn’t, I would be telling them they’re heading the wrong way.”

“I just wonder if fighting is really going to get us anywhere,” she said. “I mean, it sounds like the more we fight, the more we get torn apart.” She frowned and looked down. “Shouldn’t we be looking for a way to unite the Zones and Better Living? Find a compromise?”

Jet laid his fork down. “I get what you’re saying, so don’t think I’m just trying to shut you down. But I don’t see how that’s possible. After everything they’ve put us through—put the Zones through.” He swallowed. “Let alone that we could never trust a treaty. They’d never honor their side.”

“Would you honor yours?” Timid said.

“I can’t speak for every wavehead in the Zones,” he said. “But I would do everything I could to keep to it, yes.”

Timid cleared her throat. “Sorry if I upset you or anything. I was just wondering.”

“I just don’t think either side could ever trust the other to keep their agreement,” Jet said. “Just don’t let the guys hear you say that, all right? They might think you’re too soft.”

Timid laughed. “I won’t. I just thought you were the man to ask.” She kissed him softly, glad it was off her chest.

Kobra watched the pair. His stomach dropped, hoping that things would pan out, but he knew he had to tell his brother. They couldn’t afford for her to try to make peace with Better Living. Even the idea could break the group apart.


	25. Implications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kobra deals with conflicting feeling over Timid, and fails horridly. Meanwhile jet and Timid get closer, sharing intimate feelings and secrets, debating how to handle this new animosity from Kobra.

Kobra’s chest seized up. He tried to brush off his response as an overreaction, but the panic wouldn’t cease. Better Living killed them, tortured them. They cast everyone aside and then hunted them like animals. How could the Killjoys even think about achieving a ceasefire, let alone an agreement? He wanted to vomit at the idea that she could be some Better Living-forgiving pawn. The ones who wanted peace between them usually ended up in the city. “Forgiving” them led to a cushy life. Kobra closed his eyes. He made up his mind, then slunk through the halls to find his brother.

He rapped on his brother’s door, his hands shaking. When he finally saw Poison, he exhaled. “Thank God,” he said. “We’ve got a problem.”

“A Dracs are coming to this area problem or We’re out of toilet paper problem?” Poison said.

“I’m concerned about Timid being the problem.” He took his brother’s shoulders. “She’s talking about us making peace with Better Living.”

Poison frowned. “Did you talk to her about this?”

“No! I mean, I just figured—” Kobra stammered.

Poison let out a weak sigh. “A lot of people want that, Ko. And I get why it could be appealing to them, but they don’t know about the interworkings going on here. Before you panic and kick her out, we need to let her know.”

“I can’t believe you’re responding like this,” Kobra said, not trying to mask his shock. “I’d assume you’d be the first to want to haul her ass off.”

He groaned. “Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind it. Just—” Poison sighed, looking down. “We have to change the way we handle this. So that’s what we’re going to do. We agreed on it. We can’t afford to send everyone away right now.”

Kobra nodded, but he still didn’t feel right. “I’ll sit her down tomorrow, then,” he said.

“You do that.” Poison nodded and shut the door behind him. He was going keep an eye on Timid himself, but there was nothing he could do. He had to let her have her opinion for now. After all, if he took that away, he wouldn’t be any better than Better Living.

\---

Kobra shifted all night in his sleep. Peaceful rest was bent on evading him. Deciding to give up on sleep, he headed to the lobby to wash up. It was little more than a basin, and they couldn’t spare too much water. After the initial dip, you were basically cleaning yourself with dusty water. He smiled to himself, remembering when they first started. Ghoul would wipe oil and mud on everything. He needed the guys to help tug off his boots, because they stuck to his skin and didn’t want to let go.

Kobra liked to wash himself one part at a time. He always washed his face first, as the idea of using dirty water on his face grossed him out. Then he slid off his jacket and shirt and finally stripped down to his undergarments to clean his legs and feet. It was almost meditative for him, going through these actions a certain way, working until he was the right amount of clean. The water was rusty brown by the time he was finished, nearly the color of coffee. He threw it outside near some herbs, hoping they would be thankful for a bit more water. He looked outside, exhausted. It had been a long time getting here, and he didn’t see things picking up anytime soon.

Once he was finished putting his supplies away, he headed up to check on Ghoul. He slowly creaked the door open. “Ghoul?” he whispered.

“What do you want?” came Ghoul’s sleepless voice.

“Just checking in on you,” Kobra said. “How are you feeling?” He turned on the light and frowned. Ghoul had his bandages peeled off, mirror in hand. “What are you doing?”

“No one will tell me what I look like, so I just wanted to see for myself.” He ripped the rest of the bandages off. His scabs were heavy and thick, starting to heal over.

“I’m going to have to wrap you up until those are finished healing,” Kobra warned, grabbing a roll of bandages. “I don’t want those scabs breaking and something getting in.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ghoul allowed Kobra to take his head in his hands. “It just hurts so bad.”

“Maybe you should give it a rest, then.” Kobra snickered.

“Hush, you,” Ghoul said, but paused as he felt the adhesive pressed against his skin. “There, you got me all fixed.”

“Just trust me on this and leave them on this time, all right?” Kobra said.

“It’s okay. You weren’t there, you know,” Ghoul called when Kobra turned his back. Kobra froze. “All that would have happened is you would have gotten your ass kicked, too. There were too many.”

Kobra sadly turned around. “I still could have helped sooner or done something.”

Ghoul shook his head. “Then we’d both be out of commission and Jet would have to fix us up.” He laughed weakly at the idea. “Could you imagine him caring for both of us?”

Kobra managed a weak smile. “I still should have been there,” he said. “I don’t care what would have happened to me. You didn’t have to go through it alone.”

“Man, that’s the problem.” Ghoul sat up and moved closer. “You should care! You guys are so go, go, go. You don’t care what happens? What’s the point of all the shit we’re doing if you don’t think you’re worth it?”

“I don’t see what you mean,” Kobra mumbled.

“You just said you didn’t care what happened. So would you have cared if they killed you? If the both of us didn’t make it out?”

“That’s not what I—”

“Yeah it is! I mean I’m all for fighting and giving your all, but you gotta be able to come back from it.” He grinned. “Gotta believe we matter too.”

Kobra opened his mouth to argue, but nodded and managed a smile. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “I just wanted to—change things, I guess.”

Ghoul’s smile turned wry. “Man, it happens. At least I look badass as fuck. Everyone’s gonna know not to fuck with me” He laughed a bit harder then he meant to, rubbing the side of his mouth.

“Careful, there,” Kobra said.

“So when can I get out of this bed, man? I’m going nuts.”

“You’re never going to drop this, are you?”

“Nope!” Ghoul grinned.

“Fine,” Kobra said. “But I get to check on you at least once a day. Think that’ll work?” He extended his hand.

“I can deal with it.” Ghoul beamed, shaking Kobra’s hand with enthusiasm.

\---

By the time Kobra left Ghoul’s room, the sun must’ve been up a few hours. He headed down to the lobby that had become their new war room. Everyone else was working with the lumber and other building supplies, reinforcing the walls that wanted to crumble down on them.

“Looks like I’m going to be busy today,” Kobra called with a smile.

“There you are,” Poison said. “Yup, we’re staying in to make sure this place stays up.”

“Oh man, you mean I’m finally up and this is the shit I gotta do?” Ghoul joked. He shook his head and headed over to Jet, helping him hold the wood in place.

“Yup, deal with it.” Poison chuckled. “So once we’re done fixing this up, we’re going to go back to the kitchen. We’ll do this building today, then in a few days go for the rooms.”

Kobra arched a brow. “You must’ve spent plenty of time planning this,” he said.

Poison grinned. “Never giving up my tricks.”

Kobra nodded and headed over to Timid. “Hey, can I talk to you?” he said.

Timid looked up, mildly surprised. “Sure,” she said, then headed out of the room to go talk to Kobra.

\---

Timid wouldn’t speak to anyone for the rest of the day, nor the night that followed. She turned away from Jet and refused to eat. Every time he begged her to talk, she stormed off and came back with a few dozen lizards. Their skulls had been shattered by blunt force.

“Timid?” Jet said. He laid his hand on her shoulder, then frowned when she jerked away. “What happened?”

“I’m leaving,” she hissed, refusing to look Jet in the eye.

“What? Why?” 

“Just isn’t the right place for me,” she said through gritted teeth.

“What did Kobra say to you?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Timid threw a few things in a bag. “I won’t go yet, just once I get my shit together.”

Jet watched her with sad eyes. “Please don’t,” he said. After everything that had happened, she couldn’t just leave, could she?

She stiffened, but continued grabbing her things together. “Jet?” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t leave, okay?” he said desperately. “Just give it some time. I can fix whatever’s going on.”

“There’s nothing to fix.” She sighed and turned to him. “This just isn’t a good place for me.”

Tears rolled down his face. “Please, Tim. Just reconsider, for me?”

She wrapped her arms around his stomach. “Don’t cry,” she whispered into the fabric of his shirt. “I can’t take it when you cry. Please.”

He held her tightly, afraid that if he moved his arms she would fade away right before his eyes. “Then don’t leave me,” he said. “Whatever’s going on, we can work it out, I promise. Just give me the chance to help you.” He touched her cheek. “Please.”

She bit her lip, unable to look away. She wiped away his tears, rubbing the dirt from his cheek. “I’ll give it a shot,” she whispered. “But if it doesn’t work, just know I tried my hardest.”

He nodded and kissed her forehead, his heart racing. “I know you are, babe,” he said. “I know.”

“Please don’t cry,” she said again. “I’m not worth it.”

Jet cupped her face. “You’re worth everything,” he said. “Don’t you see it, Timid? Even if you can’t, you have to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she whispered.

“Then trust me when I say you’re the best thing to happen to me in these damned Zones.” His voice broke, but he didn’t care.

She shook her head. “Oh, Jet, you’re making me blush,” she said. It was true. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, her throat tight.

He smiled and kissed each of her cheeks. “Good,” he said before pulling her in a tight hug. “I’m glad I can.”

Timid closed her eyes and held on tight, feeling every tear that fell on her head. How did she end up here? How was she so lucky?

\---

Poison tugged his mask off, fresh from a patrol. He had ended up dusting a few white coats today, but overall the land seemed barren. The repairs had helped ease his mind, now that they didn’t have to worry about everything caving in. Between Timid’s hunting and the massive amount of Pup they had gotten their hands on, they were set. He hadn’t felt so safe in years.

Sometimes he ran to D’s to check out the newer recruits. He wanted to be sure that everyone knew what they were getting into. It wasn’t just glitz and glamour and wild partying. There was a good chance they would die, but their deaths would mean something. He had been proud of the responses. At least he knew they were willing to risk everything. And if this fight went well, maybe it would calm some of the tension in the Zones.

He headed inside, sweat matting his hair to his head. He went straight for their stores and downed a flask of water. They were running low, as it didn’t seem to rain in this area as often as it did at the diner. Popping his neck, he made a note to go further out, to look for a market or try to harvest some water and hope it wasn’t contaminated. Then he found Kobra and relayed the basics of what happened so he could write it down. They were keeping logs again, to make sure they were being productive with the time they were given. He had wondered if it were the best idea, but they always used shorthand so it couldn’t be used against them. Kobra seemed the natural choice to take care of the logs. He was so organized compared to everyone else.

“Got it?” Poison said when he finished giving him the details.

“Yeah,” Kobra said. “This should help us cut back extra fuel costs, too.”

“Righty-o. So how’s the charity work going?” He wasn’t being sarcastic. Giving back had seemed to help his brother come alive.

“It’s touch and go at times,” Kobra said. “We’ve been able to help a lot of kids have access to food and water, so that’s always a plus.” He smiled. “Even if it costs me half my carbons as long as I live, it’s nice to know I’m making a positive impact.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He patted his brother on the shoulder before heading out to get some food. After being out all day, he was starving. Timid hadn’t come back with the catch of the day yet, so all they had was Pup. But at least there was plenty of it.

Poison wanted to announce that they would be heading to battle soon, that the troops looked ready and they could reclaim their territory. But it wasn’t his place to declare it. His brain was electrified with the battle plans that he and D had discussed. It all was fairly abstract for now, but when the time came to fight, they’d know what to do.

Poison let out a particularly loud belch, then went hunting for his girl. Whenever he finished a successful run, she was the second face he sought. He wanted to show every small victory to his team, show them that they really had a fighting chance.

He walked through the corridors until he came to their room. He stared at her mess of violet hair as she cleaned. “Getting started a bit early, are we?” he said.

She broke out in a smile and rushed to embrace him. “You’re home!” she said.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m home,” he whispered pressing a kiss to her face. “I missed you.” 

“Good.” She wrapped her arms around him, letting out a startled noise when he scooped her up, twirling her around the room.

“Everything is going smoothly,” he said. “It looks like we’ll be ready to fight any time now.” He smiled as he set her down on the bed. “I need to talk to you about your role, though.”

Her face fell. She knew there was no way he would allow her near that battlefield. “Oh?”  
“You’re going to stay here,” he said. “If anything happens, D will find you a way out and get you some place safe.” His tone made it clear that there was no room for argument.

“You know what I want—”

“Yes, and it’s too risky. I don’t know when this fight will come, but it’ll be here soon.” He took her hands, staring into her eyes. “You’ll survive this, no matter what.”

Revenge’s mind was swimming. “You’ll come back?” she said.

“I’ll do everything I can.” He kissed her to silence any further protest.

“Okay,” she whispered, holding onto him tighter. “I’ll stay back.”

“I promise, when we have our room back, when our lives go back to normal, I’ll train you, take you with me, whatever you want.” His voice grew weak. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

She closed her eyes. “I know you will,” she whispered, curling with him until they ceased being two people.

\---

Ghoul rounded up a few supplies before slipping into the Trans Am. He wanted to give the engine a break after Poison had been out all day, but he wanted to get some traps planted. They hadn’t done enough to prepare, in his opinion. The idea of landmines was ruled out, as there was no safe way for their side to navigate it. But he still had a few good tricks up his sleeve. There was no such thing as a fair fight in the Zones.

He drove close to the dividing line. He slipped out as silently as he could, planting dynamite and other small explosives in places that they wouldn’t stick out, unless you knew where to look. He took notes on placement for the guys. Staring out at the horizon, he suddenly found himself overwhelmed by emotion. Everything seemed to hinge on this battle. It was terrifying and marvelous at the same time.

After heading back to the car, Ghoul sped off. Half the time, it didn’t seem like he belonged in the Zones anymore. Everything had changed. So much of the fighting was behind each other’s backs. He found himself mourning the simple days of fighting and coming back a hero. His lips twisted as he sped up the car. Maybe this would put everything right where it was before. Right where it belonged. They were going to have one hell of a fight coming. He swallowed his anxiety and smirked. It seemed like karma was finally going to put him back in his element. And he was going to make sure that he’d take advantage of it.


	26. The Death of a Movement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The attack is finally here. There's no way this is going to end without bloodshed on both sides. When fate rears it's ugly head and one of the boys falls, all hell breaks loose. Now against the freedom fighters and better living, the group loses hope for a better future.

Dr. Death’s tired eyes looked over the map pinned above his desk. It was the eve before the fight, and he was becoming more and more grateful he had planned it for tomorrow. Hearing that Dracs had been harassing ‘Joys not too far from the diner’s former location wasn’t a shock. But it would help spur them to a much-needed victory.

He pressed his fingers to his temples and let out a weak sigh. It felt like days since he had handed the waves over to Pony so he could seek rest. But it didn’t matter right now. He had a war to keep track of. He had sheets of maps filled with notations and plans for attacks that had long since passed. He grabbed his coffee mug and drank the cooled coffee. It tasted like shit, but he needed it to get through the rest of the night.

After getting the notes from Ghoul about explosives, and giving him a good chewing-out, D had tried to use them the best he could. At one point, he’d considered telling all the recruits, but something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but usually his hunches were right. Only the Four had copies of their locations.

He had debated with himself over most of his decisions, something that was new to him. He’d always been so sure; keeping track of the enemy and fighting them wasn’t much to sort out. He glanced at the record playing on the broadcast and changed it when it finished. He didn’t give his usual speech. The night was too still and he didn’t want to jinx it in Better Living’s favor.

Maybe they would figure out that something was up; maybe they wouldn’t. It was as much as a head game as it was a battle in the Zones. He scratched a few aimless notes down before wheeling himself out to check on Pony. His eyes softened, seeing the youthful sleeping face.

He tugged a blanket over Pony’s form. It was a bit chillier then he would have liked, but it was fitting considering circumstances. He knew that they would be called on-site tomorrow. Pony always slept in, and he would find himself lost without his partner. It was a bitter feeling to face alone. But he feared that admitting it out loud would make everything they’d built crumble into sand, trapping them in a hell they’d have no hope of escaping.

Wheeling back, he sighed, lighting up a cigarette. He folded a few papers in the hole in the floor he used as an ashtray, lighting them up and stomping them out with his cane. They couldn’t risk this documentation getting out, should anything happen. He glanced back at the empty doorway for a moment. He would do whatever it took to keep the people of the Zones safe.

\---

Morning hadn’t even arrived, but the hotel was stirring with life. They had long since given up any hope of sleeping. The fight would be closer to noon, but that didn’t stop them from gearing up. Jet kissed Timid between whispers of plans, warnings, and reassurances.

“If you think you can’t handle it, don’t be afraid to hunt me down,” Jet whispered, tucking some loose hair behind her ear.

“I know, but I don’t think I’ll need it.” She closed her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest. “I just wish it was already over with.”

“Me too, Tim.” He snaked his arms around her middle and held her close. “Me too.”

It was hard not to get sentimental before a battle. The brothers seemed tied to each other, only pulling apart when they had no choice. They gathered up what important information they could rid themselves of and burned it. It was the only way to know it was safe.

Ghoul finished polishing a few parts on his bike. He had decided that it would be better off here, and it gave him something to come back for. His stomach sank, seeing his reflection and the thick scars on the sides of his mouth: a reminder that even if they beat Better Living, they had plenty of other things to worry about. He got up and headed to check on the Trans Am again. Maybe it was repetitive, but it was better than being stuck in his head.

The hours passed like minutes. Soon enough, it was time to head out. “Gear up,” Poison called, motioning for everyone to get into the car. He lingered for a moment and nodded toward Revenge, unable to handle a goodbye.

“Let’s go!” Ghoul shouted from the backseat. He had more than a few guns stuffed inside in his vest. “I want to knock these fuckers down before I’m D’s age.”

Poison chuckled, getting himself adjusted in the front seat. “Let’s see that happen.” He sped away from the hotel, his eyes fixed on the purple spot in his rearview mirror until it faded away.

“You ready?” Kobra said to Timid. They hadn’t spoken much since their argument, but this wasn’t the time to worry about it.

“As I’ll ever be.” She grinned at the other four in the car. “I bet we’ll make a real impact today.”

“Here’s hoping we can push them back, at least,” Jet said.

“Are we going straight there or not?” Kobra said.

“I think it’s best we all get there separately in case of backlash,” Poison said. “It was D’s idea anyway.”

The rest of the drive was hard on everyone. Ghoul couldn’t stop talking, louder and faster than normal. Kobra seemed to be stonewalling, not willing to let anything in or out. Timid’s breathing was hitched, echoing throughout the Trans Am, and Jet fussed over her. Poison watched his team from the rearview mirror with a frown plastered on his lips. He didn’t have anything to say to soothe their fears. Until the battle had ended, he couldn’t promise anything.

\---

It happened in an instant. There was no time to think. They drove into the fight after their engine nearly stalled to a stop. Everyone threw their bodies in the sand, trying to take out the enemy. It wasn’t until Poison started to slow did he realize there was friendly fire. A lot of friendly fire.

“Shit, get down!” he called to everyone, fishtailing the car so it was horizontal to the battle.   
Jet was already out the window, shooting as fast as his hands could manage. “What did you see?” he said.

“We got company.” He swore before dodging a few blasts aimed at his head by a ‘Joy with a green mohawk. This was no accident. These must’ve been those radicals. “Fuck!”

Ghoul climbed out the top of the car. Once his feet sunk into the sand, he took off like a shot. A gun in each hand, he went for the Dracs first. When he saw the Dracs scrambling to the back of the car, he dug up an explosive. He threw it, unable to help but smile when he saw the flames. When he stood up, he found himself staring down the barrel of a ‘Joy’s gun. In one swift motion, Ghoul headbutted him in the groin, then turned and fired at the man’s head until blood pooled beneath him.

Kobra followed Ghoul as closely as he could, trying to remember the markers. But he was more concerned about the ‘Joys caught between the Draculoids and the radicals. He threw himself between a Drac and a teenage girl. He took a blow to the arm, but Ghoul popped up, taking down the offender.

Timid threw herself into the fray. It was a swarm of people. There was no way to keep anything straight. Were there any Dracs left? She swore, feeling a shot to the thigh. She grabbed with her free hand, aiming at the Dracs that she could see. This was nothing like what she had prepared for.

Poison was the last to leave the car. Four patrol cars, more than he had expected by far. He aimed at their heads and dodged the shots fired at him. It was nearly impossible to tell where the shots were coming from. Jet barreled past him, throwing an assailant across the sand. The Dracs were down, but they were face-to-face with some dangerous people.

“Drop your weapons,” hissed a radical with a red bandana.

The dust was settling between the groups. Both aimed their guns at each other. “No fucking way,” Poison growled

He aimed and shot a ‘Joy in the chest. “Do it or I’ll kill all of them!”

Ghoul snarled. He threw dynamite at them and watched them jump to avoid it. Jet and Kobra made quick work, shooting them down until only the leader remained. Poison scooped him up, gun to his head. “What the fuck do you want from us?”

The man just laughed. “Go to hell.” In one swift motion he pulled a gun from his pocket, shooting Poison square in the jaw.

Ghoul roared and rushed forward, but it was too late. As Poison fell into the sands, the radical took his own life. Kobra darted to his brother, trying to move the clothing. The wound was already bleeding badly. “Fuck, it could have hit his internal organs.” He looked at Jet. “Take lead, get them to the next spot. Hurry!”

Jet nodded, looking for Timid. “To the next patrol!” he roared to the ‘Joys who remained.

Ghoul nodded and ran to take one of the patrol cars that hadn’t burned up. He forced himself to take a breath. Everything would be fine and they’d return to find Poison patched up. They had to, right?

The group followed Jet in their own vehicles. For the entire drive, he kept a wary hand on his gun, ready to take down anyone who so much as looked at him the wrong way. Timid watched as he drove, horrified at the blood spattered on her face and arms. She felt like those moments were burned into her eyes, and wondered if she could ever recover.

\---

Jet burned with rage. He wouldn’t stop until all of them were dead: the Draculoids, the radicals, every single fucking person who had led to Poison’s injury. He couldn’t fathom how long he’d been driving when he nearly slammed into the next patrol. He would take them down single-handed if he had to. His shots were rapid, deadly. He couldn’t stop even if he tried. When the blood seeped through their uniforms, it wasn’t enough. He must’ve looked mad by the time the other cars arrived at his side.

Timid watched, wide-eyed and terrified. This was a side of Jet she’d never seen before. And they had over a dozen spots to hit up before this attack would be over. How could things ever go back to normal after she’d seen this? Her hands shook with every shot she fired. It all seemed so pointless. Ghoul lobbed explosives over their heads, the shrapnel falling around them. Her chest grew tight, seeing the bodies fall on both sides and the blood pool beneath them.

As quickly as the fight began, it ended. But Jet hadn’t calmed down at all. “Next location,” he ordered with a furious look, motioning for everyone to move out. 

Timid swallowed as the car revved. “Are you going to be okay?” she finally blurted out, unable to stop herself.

He shot her a look. “Not now, Timid, just not now.” His voice was dark, dripping with contempt. Timid flinched, hearing his tone. She wished that she was the one who’d been shot.

\---

There was more blood then Kobra was prepared for. He’d been shot through his shirt without the leather to protect him. He lifted his brother up the best he could on one arm, laying him in the backseat of the Trans Am.

“It’s going to be okay.” Kobra took his brother’s hand for a moment, giving it a squeeze before getting in the driver’s seat. He quickly pressed the pedal down, lurching the car to life. His mind raced as he drove. Any place he could think of had been at risk since the diner fell, and he was running out of options.

Debating whether he should drive home, Kobra jumped, hearing his brother cough. He pulled a hard left, heading for D’s station. It wouldn’t be ideal, but at least he’d have an extra set of hands. He slowed his speed when the building came into view on the horizon. He prayed they’d have an update on Jet and the team while he worked.

Pony saw the car coming and ducked outside. “What happened?” he said. He went pale when he saw Poison, rushing to help lift him inside.

Kobra grunted. “Just went bad.” he didn’t even notice D until they had swept all the maps off a table and lay Poison down. “We were ambushed,” he said, stripping his brother of his jacket.

“You can tell us later,” Pony offered, looking at D with worried eyes.

“No, I can’t.” He whipped out a makeshift first-aid kit and cleaned the wound as his brother cried out. “Some of that anti-‘Joy movement was in the group. They turned on us.”

“How bad was it?” Pony said.

“It was a standoff,” Kobra said. “Pony, hold him down,” he ordered as he worked, his hands still shaking from the adrenaline. “We got them all. I left Jet in charge.”

“That explains a bit,” D grumbled, looking at the radio. He’d shifted one of his headphones off so they could talk. “Ghoul said he was out of control. He’s acting like a damn Scarecrow.”

Kobra frowned heavily. “I stand by my decision,” he said. “We all saw Poison get it. He’ll handle it the best. Won’t break down.”

“I trust you on that, but you know how he gets.” D scratched at his chin. “Looks like he got it good. Why don’t you sit down, Kid?”

Kobra barely noticed that his knees were knocking together until D offered him a chair. He collapsed in the chair, out of breath and weary, tears running from his eyes. “It was out of nowhere.”

“Probably what they hoped for,” Pony said, giving Kobra a flask filled with water. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll keep an eye on him, and he’ll be shiny as ever.”

Kobra looked over sadly, wanting to believe that. “How’s the attack going?” he said finally. The silence was too much for him.

“Well, Ghoul’s on broadcast,” D said. “They’ve taken back Five, wrecked all the Drac encampments, heading onto Four.”

“At least the mission’s a success,” Kobra managed. The emotions were bubbling up before he could handle them. He tugged at his hair.

“It’ll be all right, Kid.” D placed his hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “We’ll be free of these fucks, then we can focus on these other jokers. Make life safer again.”

Kobra grimaced, but nodded. “This is what we wanted, right?” His words felt heavy, sinking into the stillness of the room.

“‘Course it is.” Pony rolled over with a smile, lukewarm coffee in hand. “Pick-me-up?”

Kobra downed it heartily. He felt a bit less exhausted, but his heart pounded away nonetheless. His eyes settled on his brother’s form. “I just wish I could have stopped it.”

“That, and a million other things.” D removed his headset to look Kobra in the eye. “Just keep moving, Kid.”

Kobra half-smiled, knowing he should have expected that answer. “Thanks, D. I know I have to.” He moved over to his brother’s side. “Should I take off and join up with everyone else?”

“Your choice on that one. Think you’ll be able to focus with him here?”

Kobra’s face fell and he chuckled. “Not really,” he admitted. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until I know Ghoul and Jet are all right.”

D nodded and sat up straight. “Got some fuel in the back. Eat something, then head out. We’ll keep him safe, got it?”

Kobra nodded. “Thanks, D,” he said, his voice coming back. When he stood up, he was no longer shaking. But he shot his brother a long glance, promising himself he’d be back before long.

\---

Jet panted, his body running out of steam faster than he had expected. They’d lost so many people on their side. Each run was getting harder and harder. But he didn’t have time to stop and think about their losses. He had to keep this movement going, no matter what happened. After all, Poison could be—no, he didn’t have time to sit and worry about the possibilities. All they had was right here, right now. And right now, he had the need to take down as many of these Better Living fuckers as he could.

His breathing became ragged as he threw down another Drac, blasting over and over until all he could see was red. He turned around to see if Timid was all right. She hadn’t crossed his mind while he was in this state. She was fighting, blood matted her hair as she swung a hammer in self-defense. Ghoul ran up behind her, slaying a Drac right before he could get her. They looked to Jet in panic. Everything was falling apart. They needed his direction.

“We keep going!” Jet roared, stepping on the corpses of fallen Draculoids as he headed for the car. “How many we got left?” he said to Timid.

She frowned and looked down. “About half a dozen,” she said. “That last one really took out a lot of us.” She tried to nurse her wounds as the car sped up.

“We only have a few more left,” Jet said weakly. “Don’t give up, Tim. If we die here, we die standing up for our cause.”

He reached for her hand. She stared at it, moving to rest her own hand on his when the radio buzzed to life.

“Star!” Kobra said. “I’m coming up from behind. Don’t trust the waves. Too many trackers going down. Meet at location ACR before continuing.”

Jet groaned. It wasn’t too far out of the way, but he felt his hormones ebbing and flowing. “Fuck,” he whispered, some of the aggression fading.

“Are you all right?” Timid looked to him, concerned in more ways than she could voice.

“No, I’m just really feeling it.” He looked down at his beaten and cut-up hands. He was trembling, wondering how many blows he’d taken.

“Do you need me to drive?” Timid said quickly. He’d fallen from that animalistic warrior to himself again, and she was scared.

“I’ll be all right. Can you pass me my flask?” He motioned with his hand. His lips had split from the intense heat, and he couldn’t help but hiss in pain.

Timid swallowed, watching him. She looked out to the horizon. What would they do this time? How were they going to keep up this fight if no one but Poison could take the lead?

\---

By the time the remaining cars pulled up to their meeting place, the group had been reduced to Kobra, Jet, Timid, Ghoul and four other trainees. Their grief was written across their faces. Kobra headed in front of them, his eyes sharp.

“We have three more stations to hit, then we’ll have pushed them back to the city wall,” he said. “I’ll be honest: I don’t see us getting in there any time soon.” He looked each person in the eyes. “But we’ve paved the way for it. Nothing that happened today was a loss. All of your bravery and sacrifice will help us take down Better Living once and for all.”

Jet stood beside him. “As you all know, Party Poison was injured,” he said. “But we’re going to have a new leader for this attack: Kobra.” He motioned to his teammate.

Shock fell over Kobra’s face for a split second. But he nodded, turning to the trainees. “If we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down fighting,” he said. “Let’s show these fuckers what we’re made of!” He threw his fist in the air, trying to pump everyone up. But it fell weakly when he saw the terror on their faces.

Ghoul walked over with a frown. “We can’t keep this going, Kid,” he whispered in his ear. “We gotta send these kids back to D, let them regroup. It’ll just be sending them to their deaths at this rate.”

Kobra frowned and looked the four. “All right, we’ll handle this one. Timid, take them back to Dr. D’s.”

“What? No! I’m going to stay and fight!” She looked over at Jet. If she wasn’t there to keep an eye on him, he could—

“That’s an order,” Kobra said curtly. “Make sure they’re safe. We got this.”

Timid was shocked, but she rounded up the remaining fighters in a car before returning to Jet. “Come back safe,” she said, embracing him.

“I wouldn’t dream of anything else,” he whispered, sharing a quick kiss before letting her go. He watched the car until it was just a speck in his line of sight. Then he turned to his teammates and nodded. “Let’s go fuck shit up.”


	27. Relaxings with the tumbleweeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being sent back to save the last few killjoys on their mission, Timid finds solace in Show Pony. Aching for the return of Jet, Kobra and Ghoul, while they run out trying to finish their mission. Meanwhile, the guys throw themselves into their mission, doing their best to get back to their gravely injured leader.

Timid’s eyes set weakly on Jet through the rearview mirror. She swallowed thickly, turning her attention to the kids in her car. They couldn’t have been more then seventeen. Two of them were wounded, bleeding from the head. She shook her head, trying not to think of the worst possible scenario for the guys. It was hard not to resent them a little. She trained just as hard, fought just as much. Was it because she was a woman? Or because they thought of her as soft? Either way, the thought boiled in her head until it started to ache. She would take the kids back, but she wouldn’t stay and babysit them.

\---

Jet glanced at the car and shook his head, turning his attention to the plan Kobra was rambling about. The words just rang in his ears. He couldn’t seem to process them.

“—you got that?” Kobra asked, glancing at his two teammates.

“We go in, we fight and win,” Jet said. “What’s so hard to understand?”

Kobra frowned. “We have to keep our heads about us on this one,” he said. He got to his feet and turned to face the desert. “There’s no way they haven’t been alerted to our presence by now. Going in there headfirst is a death sentence, and I intend to get you both back safely.”

Ghoul nodded, a grim look on his face. “We don’t need anyone else down and out,” he said. The words hung heavily in the air.

Kobra shook his head. “Come on, let’s get going.” He motioned for them to follow him into the car, loading and gearing up for the next fight. Despite all the attacks they’d already launched, this was going to be the longest part of the day. 

It felt like the drive took forever. They felt sluggish as they tried to shove food into their mouths. Their wounds were patched poorly and the water tasted dirty in their mouths. Kobra looked at his teammates and shook his head. He couldn’t keep himself from thinking about his brother. He had to come back for him, if nothing else.

\---

“I have to go back,” Timid said. She glanced at the unconscious Poison. “They’re already a man down, and I don’t want anything worse happening!”

“You had your orders,” D said. “You should be listening to Kobra. He has his reasons.”

“How can you say that?” she said, tears in her eyes. “We can’t just send them out there to die!”

“And what good would it do?” he said. “Do you think you’re such a strong fighter you can replace Poison? He’s probably trying to minimize the damage that’s already been dealt. That’s what he’s gotta do. He’s the leader.” His voice was firm, but not unkind.

“I can’t accept that,” she said. “I can’t just sit here and wait to hear what happens!”

“Then do us a favor and make yourself useful,” he said. “We got injured now, and we need all the help we can get. What do you know about working as a medic?”

“Not very much,” she admitted.

He waved her off. “Go ask Pony. He’s a lot better with this shit then I am.”

Timid opened her mouth to argue, but frowned when D dismissed her. She groaned and headed to the station, where she saw Pony darting around, cleaning wounds. “What can I do to help?” she said.

Pony gave her a small smile. “Let’s get as many of them cleaned as we can.”

Timid nodded and followed Pony around, cleaning rags and wrapping wounds. “How’s he doing?” she said when they took a break, glancing at Poison’s room.

Pony’s face fell. “He was hit pretty badly. But Kobra did what he could and we’re keeping an eye on things. He’ll recover.”

“But will he be able to keep running?” Timid said.

“We don’t know,” Pony said, cleaning a blood-soaked rag. “It’s something only time can tell for now.” 

“It’s maddening not knowing what’s going on,” she said. “Between Jet off fighting and all of this. I wasn’t expecting to be this attached.”

“It happened,” Pony said, hanging the rags on a clothesline. “When you spend so much time with them, they grow on you. But hey—they’ll handle things. They always do.” He smiled at her.

Timid tried to smile back, but only cringed. “I never wanted that, for them to grow on me. I mean—” She shook her head and tried to tie her hair back. “I’ve always been on my own, and I feel like letting them in threatened my entire way of life.” She sighed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to dump this all on you.”

Pony laughed. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Everyone always does.” He patted her shoulder. “Living that way sounds miserable. I’d imagine it’s much easier and happier to be surrounded by others. Sometimes the world works out for the best, even if we can’t see it.”

She leaned against a wall, unable to look him in the eye. “I wasn’t unhappy,” she said. “It was more like, a fleeting happiness. This feeling of worry, it’s tearing me apart from the inside out.”

“Well, then, we’ll live with it.” He did a little twirl on his skates and extended his hand to her. “It’s a shitty feeling, but it’s better than not having experienced something so good, that we never felt it in the first place.”

Timid cracked a half-smile. “You sound like your recruitment posters.”

“Hey! I worked hard on those!” Pony huffed, putting his hands on his hips.

She laughed. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” she insisted, raising her hands in defense. “I still remember how high I held them, when I decided to leave the city.”

He smiled softly. “Yeah?” he said. “Was it worth it?”

Her face fell. “Sort of,” she said. “There were some…complications.”

“Are you all right?” he said.

“I just don’t know why these memories are popping up,” she said. “I guess with the risk of losing someone again…”

“I’m sorry,” Pony whispered. “I know how it is to lose loved ones.”

She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m going to see if anyone’s hungry.” She broke away before more thoughts invaded her mind.

After searching around the area, she found a few cans of Pup, cracking them open to help feed the patients. No matter how busy she tried to keep her hands, the memories seemed to taunt her. The running, the alarms, and the look on her sister’s face. Those unseeing eyes that stared up at her. And what did she do? She ran. She couldn’t try to do anything, save her body, say goodbye. No, she left like the coward she had been. The coward that she was.

A cry hitched in her throat. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She wanted to swallow it down, drown it out with booze, sex, drugs. Whatever would take this agony away. But there was no way that anyone here would let her. She would have to face this again, the risk of losing someone she cared for so much. Someone she loved, yes. She loved Jet, and it made her insides twist in protest. 

Everyone she loved seemed to fall into misery. Maybe if she ran away, it would keep Jet safe. She stared out the dusty, cracked window at the Zones. The sun was nearly down, and she could easily slip out with D and Pony focused on the injured ‘Joys. But she shook off the tempting thoughts. As much as she’d like to run away, she would just be repeating her mistakes. And whether Jet lived or died, it would haunt her for the rest of her life. She owed her sister that much.

She wiped her eyes again, then brought the tray of Pup to their team. As she helped them eat, the little voice in the back of her head still mocked her. After she fed everyone, she went to check up on Poison.

“What the hell am I doing?” she said. “I’m sorry I thought about running, thought about giving up. You would kick me into next week if you heard that.” She laughed dryly. “I know we don’t always get along, but I feel like I owe you an apology. I feel like it’s my fault. This is dumb, but…I’m still sorry.”

Timid wiped the sweat off Poison’s forehead. She really wanted to apologize to Jet. When she left the room, she carefully shut the door, mumbling more apologies. She jumped when she saw Pony darting around.

“They’re coming back!” Pony called with a relieved grin on his face.

“Oh my God!” Timid said, tears forming in her eyes.

\---

Kobra panted, blood drenching his clothing as he threw off the last Drac. The Drac had charged at him with a knife and Ghoul had taken him down with a clean shot to the back of the head. But not before he got stabbed. Hissing with pain, he jerked the blade out and applied pressure to the wound with his handkerchief.

“Fuck, that hurts,” he said. Sure enough, the Draculoids had been waiting for them, more than they had expected. Three cars had been surrounding their last post, and they nearly didn’t make it out. “We gotta go back to the station.”

Ghoul nodded, helping support Jet. “Come on, man, let’s get you patched up.” 

“What?” Jet weakly protested, covered in a mix of blood sweat and dirt. “Come on, guys, we gotta keep pushing it.”

“We don’t have anyone else, Jet. Don’t be dumb.” Kobra checked the corpses for anything worthwhile before heading over. “We just don’t have the manpower to take the city right now, and frankly we’re not in great shape.”

Jet groaned in protest, but let out a sigh of relief when he was able to lie down. “Fuck, now what?”

Kobra looked at him through the rearview mirror. “We’re going to get our strength back, get Poison back, and go from there. I won’t make any more big decisions until he’s back.” Kobra pressed his lips into a hard line as he drove away, not wanting to stick around any longer then he had to.

Ghoul looked at some of the rewards they’d taken from the bodies. “I got charge packs, and a few guns, knives, nothing else.” He leaned back, feeling sticky blood drying behind his ear. He wiped it with the back of his hand. “How long until he’s going to be back?”

“Don’t know.” Kobra’s eyes scanned along the sands. He felt a bit more relaxed when they made it to the road. It was easier to speed up in case another firefight broke out. “He’s not awake or anything, and he was pretty fucked up. But D and Pony won’t let anything happen, I’m sure of it.”

Ghoul nodded, his face grim. “He’ll come out of it, though?” 

“Of course.” A small, slightly forced smile came to Kobra’s face. “It’s Poison, after all.”

Ghoul tried to smile back, but his expression turned sour. “I wish I had that kind of faith,” he said. “That shot was nasty.”

Kobra sighed. “I guess we’re going to have to deal with more shit then just Better Living.” 

“We’re going to have to take them out first,” Ghoul said. “There’s no way we can keep operations going out here, without being able to have some rest with the other dwellers.”

“We’ll figure it out when my brother is back,” Kobra said. “But you and I? We’ve gotta keep running. Can’t let this momentum die down.”

“I thought you said we have to wait for him to—”

“Nothing like taking down the city,” Kobra corrected himself. “Just gotta keep patrols running and keep up with supplies. Just because he’s down doesn’t mean we’re on break.”

Ghoul chuckled. “I figured that much.”

“And what about me?” Jet groaned from the backseat.

“You’re going to heal up and get back on your feet as soon as you can.” Kobra looked over his shoulder with a sad smile. “We gotta all be in top shape. Can’t stop running, no matter what happens.”

\---

Timid paced around the diner. The sun was going to rise soon, and all they knew was that the guys were heading back. “They’ve got to be taking some weird back way home,” she said, looking at Pony with worry, hoping he would agree and calm her fears.

“They’ll be fine, just sit down,” he said, lounging in an old metal lawn chair.

“I can’t, I just—can’t,” she said. “I just need to see them, and need to see—”

“Jet?” Pony arched a brow. “What’s going on there, anyway?” He leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.

“He just—I just—” She sighed. “I really care about him, and I don’t think I realized how much until now. But seeing him out there, he’s like another person.”

“Oh yeah, Jet had a tendency to just lose himself in a fight,” Pony said. “Makes him an excellent fighter. Not so great of a leader, though.”

“A lot of ‘Joys died during this, a lot of needless deaths,” she said. “I never would have guessed he could become so—inhuman.”

“In order to slay monsters, you sometimes have to give up humanity.” Pony’s voice was solemn, his eyes distant.

“Pony?” Timid whispered.

He managed a tired smile, but sighed. “I know our way of doing things isn’t the most…well-liked out here. After all, we’re just fighting violence with violence. But even if we are, we gotta take them down, lesser of two evils.”

Her eyes were soft. “I told Jet we could probably find a way to compromise and Kobra ended up hearing,” she said. “He freaked out on me and almost kicked me out.”

He sighed. “I’m not surprised.” He sat up, staring at his hands. “Better Living can’t be reasoned with, and trying to would probably end up in more deaths.”

“So what can we do from here?”

“We take the role of the villains if we have to, like that comic book hero, Batman. He let himself be hunted while he was saving everyone else. We’ll be their heroes and when the time comes, they’ll try to hunt us down. Just gotta keep going ahead of all of that.”

“This was nothing like I expected when I was in the city,” she said. “I could never have been prepared for this life, though Lord knows I thought I was.”

“I think a lot of kids, especially city kids, have different expectations,” he said. “They think we’re just wild and fun and reckless.” A bitter smile pulled at his lips. “It’s still part of it, of course, but we’re also giving up our own freedom to do this.”

“I’ve never heard anyone put it this way,” she said. “It’s so dark.”

Pony chuckled. “D and I have to keep realistic,” he said. “We’re more than just the faces of this revolution. We have thoughts and opinions that are never put out there. Maybe they can’t handle it, maybe they can.” He closed his eyes and laughed. “Sorry about that. Lack of sleep getting to me.”

“No, I mean—I vented to you before and, I’m glad you can tell me.” She reached for his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Any time you need to let some of that out, just let me know.”

Pony nodded, raising his eyebrows as a car sped toward them. “Looks like your boyfriend is home.” He gave Timid a playful wink.

“Oh God,” she choked out, tears leaking from her eyes. “I’m so happy.”

Pony rubbed her back, beaming in the direction of the oncoming car. “I knew they’d be back in one piece,” he said, chuckling to himself. He rolled inside to check on D and give her a bit more privacy. 

Kobra exhaled when he saw the small station. His eyes were tired and he just wanted to collapse against the steering wheel. He braked carefully, stopping further from the station than he normally would, wanting to make sure he didn’t crash into the building. Once the car was in park, he let his head fall against the wheel.

Ghoul let out a pained mumble, forcing the car door open. He stumbled out of the car and nearly fell against the soft sands when they sucked his boots down. “Fuck,” he hissed.

When Jet didn’t run out, Timid darted over, gasping when she saw the mangled bloody mess that was Jet. She hissed as she helped him up. “I’m here, I’m going to take care of you,” she said.

Jet looked over weakly and managed a smile. “There you are,” he said. “Everything hurts.”

“You gotta give me a hand here, Jet. You’re a good half-foot bigger than me.” She wheezed, nearly falling over when he took some of the weight off of her.

The pair of them went inside. She laid him down on a table before darting back outside, doing the same with Kobra until the three of them were finally inside the station. They were bloody and beaten, but they were safe. It was a bittersweet feeling, but Timid would have given her right foot to have known that it would have ended this way. They were home.

\---

Despite the big talk in the car on the way home, the three of them were knocked out for three days after the fight. They only came out to eat and piss before going back to sleep. The responsibility for supply runs went to Pony and Timid. Timid learned more than she could have expected from Show Pony. His runs were a lot less intense, and the people seemed to be friendly. They took the car only once. The rest of the time, he skated along the road, teaching Timid to balance on her feet as well. Their locations weren’t particularly far, but after carrying bags of cans and other goods, Timid came home achy and tired every day. His job was a lot more physical then she could have dreamed. Then again, that was probably why he was so muscular. 

Timid panted, drinking from a flask. The water tasted dirtier than she was used to, but they gotten one hell of a deal on it. She nodded to Pony when he came by, then smiled weakly when D rolled in. “Hey, Dr. Death,” she said.

“Hey,” he said. “We’ve gotta start planning for when the guys are better. You’ll be able to head home.”

She frowned. “Is that the best idea with Poison still recovering?”

“I had a talk with Kobra earlier,” he said. “He was saying in the next day or two, you’ll be heading on your way back.”

“Oh.” It was nearly impossible for her to hide her disappointment. “I guess, thank you, then. I’ve really appreciated being around you guys.”

“It’s been good having an extra set of arms around,” D said. “Pony’s going to have his hands full, getting everyone back to normal.” He sighed and pushed his hair out of his face. “Good luck to you, Timid.”

She smiled and watched him leave. Her face fell as soon as he was out of the room. She had known that they weren’t going to stay forever, but it was hard thinking about not cooking with Pony in the morning, or practicing her shooting or rollerblading. She sighed and went in to check on Jet, her eyes tired and sad. 

He was laid out on a bed made from tables and a few old horse blankets. His face was scrunched up, probably from a nightmare. Timid found a damp rag and tried to wipe some of the dirt from his stained face. She sighed, watching him sleep with loving eyes. Leaving would hurt, but anything would be better than her memories flooding back again. She pressed her lips to his cheek and smiled when he grumbled.

“Morning,” Timid whispered, her hand stroking his arm.

“What day is it?” he said and wiped at his eyes.

“Been about three days since the fight,” she said. “It’ll be four in a few hours.” She helped push his hair out of his face, trying to be as careful as possible. “You sleeping all right?”

“Fine.” He groaned and sat up, shaking his hair free. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going home soon.” She smiled sadly. “Gonna get you in a real bed.” 

“Not a bad thing,” he said, popping his sore joints. “These tables are killing my back. A bed sounds nicer then you could imagine.”

“Well, we’ll be there before you know it,” she said.

“Are you all right?” he said.

“Sort of. Sad to move on type-thing.” She bagged his belongings in an discarded pillowcase. “I’m going to check on everyone and get you home.” She stroked his cheek for a second before leaving the room.

Jet watched her go, then leaned back, rubbing his bruised skin. He was exhausted, but the idea of her being sad killed him. He had hoped that she would be excited to go home.


	28. Tired Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for the four to head back to their home. With their leader finally concious and the guys safe enough to move. Kobra takes on more then he can really handle trying to keep the group up and moving. With so much time to recover, Jet and Ghoul find time to reconnect.

The big day had come, and luckily Poison was conscious. He was in terrible pain, but at least he was able to move. Ghoul and Jet climbed into the back of the Trans Am with him, sore and exhausted. Kobra took the responsibility of driving, with Timid as his back-up. Timid hugged her knees as Kobra brought the Trans Am to life. She had been so busy trying to take care of everyone else, she’d made no time to care for herself.

“Ready?” Kobra said as he started to drive off. He glanced toward Timid. She looked miserable. “Hey, we’ll be back to visit before you know it.”

She tried to smile back, but it fell short. “They’re good guys,” she whispered, looking in the rearview mirror until the station disappeared.

“Yup, that’s for sure,” Kobra said. “Always know we’re in good hands with them guiding us.” He smiled at her. “How about you come with me the next time I stop by? We can head out on a mission together.”

“Really?” She perked up. “That’d be awesome.”

Kobra chuckled. “I can use the help anyway,” he said. “I have a feeling we’ll be the only ones on our feet for quite a while.” He peered at his team through the rearview mirror. “I hope you’ll be sticking around for a while.”

Timid swallowed. She hadn’t really thought about what she was going to do after the fight. “I guess I could,” she said. “I mean, as long as you guys need my help!”

“Of course,” he said. “After all, that you’re stuck with us now.” He winked playfully and leaned back in his seat, the desert whipping past the windows.

“Excited to get home?” she said, noticing that he looked anxious.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d miss that dirty old hotel, but after sleeping on D’s couch for a few days, it’s calling me.” He chuckled. “I know it must be weird for you, too.”

“It’s not!” Ghoul interrupted from the backseat. “The pair of you are going on like we’re not even here. We’ve got opinions too, you know!”

“I know, I just figured you guys would fall asleep,” Kobra admitted. “Sorry if it came off any other way.”

Ghoul huffed. “I just want to put my feet up and gets some rest,” he said.

“That sounds great,” Jet said. “I just want to clean off. I’ve had way too much dirt caked on me, I’ll never be rid of all of it.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you live out here.” Ghoul laughed at the idea of really being clean. “Outside of the city or some shit, you’re going to be a Zone rat through and through.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Poison groaned, his head throbbing. “But would you mind lowering your goddamn voice? It’s like a jackhammer.”

“Sorry, man,” Ghoul said. “I guess I forgot how hard you got hit from all this.” He yawned. “It’s good to have you whining again.”

“Shut up, all of you,” Kobra said. “We’re almost home.”

By the time the diner pulled into view, everyone was anxious to get inside. Kobra did his best to get everyone in safely. He grunted, taking on as much of Jet’s weight as he could. Revenge flew over to Poison and embraced him without a word. Once Ghoul, Jet, and Poison were settled, a collective sigh seemed to cast throughout the room.

“What happened?” Revenge whispered.

Kobra leaned against the wall. “Well, it was sort of a wreck,” he said, then started to explain. When he came to Poison’s injury, the pair embraced each other silently. Kobra knew a good amount would go over her head, so he didn’t bother with the technical bits. When he was finished explaining, he sat down and leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose. Even retelling it was exhausting.

Ghoul was the first to sluggishly head off to his room. He was tired of the small talk and rehashing of everyone’s stories. By the time he made it inside, he fell on his bed with a happy hum. He gently closed his eyes and hugged his pillow.

Revenge took Poison next, helping him hobble to their room. “I wish I could do something,” she said, holding onto his arm. “I feel so powerless.”

Poison chuckled and shook his head. “You’re helping me plenty,” he said. “Let’s just go lie down.” He grunted as they made it through their door. She helped him into bed and closed the door, then lay down next to him, carefully draping her arm over him. He buried his face in her hair and sighed.

They laid there in silence for a few minutes. “You got hit pretty bad, then?” she finally asked.

“Something like that.” He turned away.

“Poison.” She frowned and tried to make him look at her. “There’s nothing we can do about that now.”

“I just don’t want you freaking out and being paranoid over something that’s over,” he said. “Everyone’s making a bigger deal out of this than they need to.”

“It sounded pretty serious.”

He looked at her weakly. “Nothing was going to stop me from coming home to you,” he whispered, stroking her cheek.

She blushed and leaned against his hand. “I know,” she whispered.

“I love you,” he whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

She let out a weak noise when they broke apart. “I love you, too,” she said. “You’ll always come back?”

“Even if I have to drag the devil himself with me,” he assured her.

\---

Kobra’s eyes grew tired as he listened to Dr. D’s traffic report. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was his brother’s bloody body in his arms. He shook his head, trying not to go back there. The good news was that the city’s hold on the Zones had been broken. The bad news was that plenty of groups were trying to take credit for it. D was arguing against these rumors, but it didn’t really matter anymore. The people of the Zones either worshipped them or wanted them out.

But Better Living wouldn’t give up on this. They’d have to try again. And they had no idea of what would happen in the next attack. Kobra wished they had more double agents, but they hadn’t done much good. They had fled the city when they feared their location was compromised. Their bodies had been found out up north in Zone Three, all of them shot in the head. The Scarecrows must have hunted them down. It was only a matter of time before their team would meet that fate as well.

Kobra sighed and looked over the package they’d gotten from D, claiming to have some insight on the group gunning for their deaths. Kobra glanced at it weakly. Notes, posters, threats—all of it blurred together. He’d give it to Poison when he was feeling better. He wasn’t thrilled about passing on the news, but no one else could.

He climbed to his feet, lighting a cigarette from a smashed package in his jacket. He checked the radio, blindly flipping through stations until he heard some faint music. It sounded like Mad Gear, except the lead singer’s voice was off. Probably some new cover band. He shook his head sadly. It felt like even the greats were being replaced. Was that going to be their fate? To be swallowed up by the Zones and fade away into nothingness?

His stomach churned as he snuffed out his cigarette with his boot. He faintly heard someone approach behind him and let out a weak noise. “Didn’t figure you’d be up yet,” he murmured, eyes set on the horizon.

Poison looked at his brother with tired eyes. “I was worried when I didn’t hear from you.”

“You should be resting,” Kobra said. “You took a nasty hit.”

“No time for that.” Poison chuckled. “If I rested every time I got shot, we’d never get shit done.”

Kobra smirked, but couldn’t manage a laugh. “Well, I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better.”

Looking over the papers, Poison frowned. “What’s all this?”

“Just research on the radicals,” Kobra said. “D sent it over. It’s nothing too concrete, but there’s a lot of hate in there.”

Poison grimaced. “So how bad are they?” he said.

“Oh, the usual. They think we’re unqualified to keep doing what we’re doing, all that.” He shook his head. “Just more stress and bullshit for us to handle.”

“Well, we’re going to have to be the ones to handle it.” Poison sighed. “They’re gunning for us after all.” He read through the notes. “Looks like it’s another Better Living.”

“I think they’d be easier to take out, considering they don’t have the same technology,” Kobra said. “But who knows anymore.”

“We’ll find a way,” Poison assured him. “I may not be up for runs for a bit, but I’ll be damned if anyone expects me to stop leading this rebellion.”

Kobra half-smiled. “With everything that’s happened, you’ve managed to stay as hard-headed as ever.” He slumped into a seat next to his brother and offered him a cigarette. “You hold us together, you know.”

“Damn right I do, that’s why I’m the leader.” Poison laughed and accepted the cigarette, lighting it up right away. “I don’t know what you guys would do without me.”

“Probably not half the shit we need to.” Kobra grinned and shoved him playfully. “We’ll handle this shit, yeah?”

“Of course, why the fuck wouldn’t we?” He draped his arms over his brother’s bony shoulders. “We’ve gotta keep the Zones alert.”

\---

Ghoul groaned, rubbing his aching muscles. He had been doing repair work on the Trans Am. Luckily, the car hadn’t taken too much damage in the fight. He checked under the hood for what felt like the hundredth time today. It was tiring, but he was always worried about the car breaking down. And eventually, no amount of repairs would be enough. They’d have to move on to another car. He patted the side of the car fondly. This had been his baby for so long, the thought of moving on was physically painful.

Peering inside the car, he frowned at the tears in the seats. But couldn’t help but smile, thinking of the memories behind them. The crashes, the shots, the spills. Traces of blood he could never get out, no matter how hard he tried. He patted the hood of the car once he closed it. “I’m going to take care of you for a long time, old girl,” he whispered.

He limped inside to get something to drink. He still wasn’t fully up to running, so he tried to keep busy around the hotel. Timid and Kobra were running to D’s to check on everything. It was nice for Ghoul to have some time by himself to recover. Ever since he’d returned to the group, he’d felt like something was missing. But he couldn’t explain it to everyone else.

He poked around their food storage, hoping they had more than just Pup. Maybe he’d gotten spoiled having so much jerky from Timid’s hunting. He hunted around the cabinets and sniffed at a bag of meat. Deciding it wasn’t rank, he grabbed it and filled up a canteen at their water stores. He enjoyed the silence for a few minutes before checking the radio. But he heard nothing but static and some old punk music.

He was about to see Kobra needed anything when he stopped on a station. The group cried for the death of D and the Fabulous Four. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. This group was just screaming into the void. They weren’t for fighting against Better Living; they just wanted to fight against a cause to say that they could.

He grabbed the receiver. “If you kids think you want to take us down, you might want to have a better plan than just sneaking into our groups,” he said. When the other line fell silent, Ghoul burst out laughing. Shaking his head, he wiped the tears from his eyes and set the radio aside. He glanced up when Jet entered the room.

“Long night?” Ghoul said.

“I couldn’t get comfortable, just tossing and turning,” Jet said, cracking his achy joints. “What’s going on here?”

“Oh, just listening to the bullshit they’re spewing on the waves, with us being too radical and needing to be brought down a peg.”

“Shit, Poison’s not going to be happy.” Jet slumped in a nearby chair, wiping off some of the dust. “You seen him?”

“Nah, figured he’s in his room,” Ghoul said. “Let me guess—he’s out doing something idiotic?”

“I think he snuck off with Kobra. No other way Blondie would let him out of the house.”

Ghoul laughed knowingly and shook his head. “I guess that makes sense. I suppose I should be compiling all these threats into a report and handing it over as soon as possible?” He winked at Jet.

“Over your dead body?” Jet snorted. “I’d kill to get out of here.”

“Doctor on your ass about resting?” Ghoul said.

“Something like that.” Jet said. “You want too go on a scouting job?”

Ghoul jumped out of his seat. “I just finished tuning up the Trans Am,” he said, beaming. They geared up and headed outside. “You should hear her purr,” he said.

Jet put on his shades. “Oh, I’m sure she does.” He grinned, throwing himself into the passenger’s seat.

“You know I wouldn’t sit around without working on my baby,” Ghoul said, stroking the steering wheel before starting the engine. “How far out?”

“A few miles,” Jet said. “Anything to get away from the hotel for a bit.” He flicked the radio on. “I doubt we’ll find anything.”

Ghoul scoffed. “Clearly we already found a Better Living base. We’re just that good at our jobs.” He tried to keep a straight face, but burst into laughter.

Jet rolled his eyes before peering out his window with a sigh. “Yup, you know it. I wonder how Timid’s holding up,” he added thoughtfully.

“Ohh, Timid and Jet, sitting in a tree, f-u-c—”

“Jesus fuck, man, shut it!” Jet said, shoving him playfully.

“Ohh, tender.” Ghoul snickered. “Seriously, you two okay?” He switched gears, glancing from Jet to the road.

He shrugged. “She’s been there for me, more than I could have ever asked. I just worry she’s going to get sick of all this...”

“You mean running?”

“Nah, just living harder than before, having to deal with so many people, you know. The extra bullshit no one ever talks about. Hell, maybe I’m worried she’ll get sick of me.” His voice came out weaker than he intended. He quickly looked away.

Ghoul rolled his eyes. “I know you go back and forth, worrying about these girls you get,” he said. “But clearly, they want to be here with you. Look at you. You’re drowning in them.”

Jet laughed. “Well it’s more welcome now than it was before,” he said. “Remember that waitress that came around a few years ago?”

“Oh yeah, the blonde? She creeped me the hell out.” Ghoul laughed harder, pressing on the gas.

“Still can’t believe she fucked me over like that,” he said. “You guys were right to tell me, you know?”

“I know you were pissed for a while,” Ghoul said. “Any chick that goes out of her way to hit on your brothers—man, fuck her.” 

“I wonder what happened to her,” Jet said. “Oh well, what’s gone is gone.”

Ghoul nodded. “Anyway, you moved on to something better,” he said. “That’s got to count for something. I like having this one around a lot more. She can take a decent hit.”

“I hope you don’t mean you’ll take a swing at her.” Jet was joking, but there was a slight warning in his voice.

“Nah, I don’t like hitting chicks who haven’t done shit to me. I’m not that kind of animal.” Ghoul winked behind his shades. “Can’t have you getting confused and tarnishing my honor.”

“Oh yes, the mysterious honor of Ghoul, comes and goes as it pleases.” Jet couldn’t help but snort at his own joke. “But seriously, I’m glad you guys like her.”

“Eh, she’s your girl, of course she would be a decent lady. And what would you expect me to do? Fight you at every turn?”

Jet looked at Ghoul over his glasses. “Well, yeah. That’s what you did with Poison.”

Ghoul shuddered. “That was different. She was different. Timid…Timid actually contributes to the group. Two totally different scenarios.”

Jet rolled his eyes. “Still cause for alarm,” he said. “I wonder if she’s thinking of me, too,” he whispered, hoping Ghoul wouldn’t catch it.

Ghoul opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it, seeing the wistful look on Jet’s face. He smiled and nodded. He’d forgotten how nice it was to chat with Jet. No matter how much he loved being alone, it was always better to stick around.


	29. Changes with the Setting Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Poison healed and the time to part yet again rising, Kobra finds himself frustrated more and more with his brothers actions. Feeling his priorities have changed he provides his brother with an ultimatium, shape up, or move on.

Timid smiled as they pulled up to D’s station. She was trying her best to honor the promises she made to herself since the fight. She was going out of her way to get along with Poison, trying to give everyone more respect and really be part of the team effort. “Don’t be afraid to speak up if you’re hurting,” she said to Poison before darting inside.

Poison shot his brother a confused look before following her inside. “Hey, old man!” he said, brushing his hair out of his face. “Did you miss me?”

D glanced up from his map and gave Poison a stern look. “No, but I’m glad you didn’t get yourself killed,” he said. He waved everyone over.

“Whatcha got there?” Timid said, looking over his shoulder.

“Leads,” he said. “I’ve been trying to hunt down these fuckers who slipped into our operation.” He dragged his finger along Route Guano. “I’ve been on the waves, trying to find whatever I could. Even missed one of my own shows.”

“What did you find?” Poison’s tone grew serious.

“Next to nothing,” D admitted. “They’re keeping themselves well hidden, not that I blame them. You aren’t the only ones hunting for them.”

“Who else?” Poison said.

“Better Living, various other teams. They’re going around pissing everybody off. Still gaining some support. I tracked a market where there were plenty of rumors, but it’ll be dangerous.” 

“Then you have to lay off,” Kobra said, stepping forward. “We can’t risk you getting hit again.”

Poison groaned. “Then who’s going to check this place out?”

“I’m on it.” Timid looked at Kobra, then Poison. “They won’t be expecting me. I might be able to find out more than any of you.”

Poison shook his head. “Absolutely not.” His tone was firm.

“Why not?” She crossed her arms.

“Because you’re too green,” he said. “You don’t know how to handle things when they get too sticky.”

“That’s because you guys won’t let me,” she said. “I’ve been running for years on my own and I’ve taken pretty damn good care of myself. But every time something happens, you guys rush me off like I’m a child. Let me help!”

Poison looked her dead in the eye. “You can kill and hunt animals, that’s great,” he said. “You can even take down Dracs. But I heard that you froze up when Jet got out of control.”

Her face turned bright red. “But—”

“No buts. If you thought Jet was out of control, what about these people? I have no idea what they want to do with us, aside from wanting to kill us. Yes, they may not know about you, but if they do? You’ll be walking into a trap!”

“So it’s better for you to go when you’re injured than give me a shot?” she cried. “I can handle myself!”

He sighed. “If I get caught, I have years of experience,” he said. “I can kill whoever gets in my way. Can you say the same?”

“Of course I do,” she said. “Getting out alive no matter what it takes is what the game has always been. And for the record, I froze up because it was Jet. If it was anyone else, I would have let it go. But he was supposed to be our leader and he was out of control!” 

Poison glanced at D, who just shrugged. “It makes no difference to me,” D said. “I’m just passing on the information. But I highly suggest that you settle this shit before it gets someone killed.”

Poison groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. We’ll give it a go. But Kobra’s going with you.” He shot his brother a look, wishing he hadn’t been so quiet. “At least that way you have backup.”

Timid beamed. “I won’t let you down,” she said. She puffed out her chest almost comically, unable to hide her happiness as she skipped off to go find Pony. At least someone would be happy for her.

Kobra sighed. “I don’t have a problem going with her,” he said. “She does deserve the chance.”

“You’re the one who sent her back last time,” Poison said.

“We had injured people we had to get back as soon as possible. I did what I had to.” He turned to D. “How are they?”

“Two of them passed,” he said. “Just too much damage done. The other two went back to their homes. I was hoping a few more would make it, but it happens.”

Poison hung his head. “I should have been there with them,” he said after a moment. “I didn’t see that asshole coming until it was too late. If I had been there, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.”

“You play this game all the time, Poison,” D said, sitting up in his chair. “You never really win. I’m not against remembering the dead, or trying to help. But you can’t dwell on what might’ve been.”

Poison nodded glumly. “You’re right,” he said. “I just wish there was a switch that turned it off.” He chuckled dryly at the irony. “Just made it more livable, or something.”

“So work at it,” D said. “It’s not going to get any better with you sitting around and whining about it. You gotta work with your head until it listens.”

“I could use help with that myself,” Kobra said. He let out a bitter laugh. “I hate how weak even admitting that makes me feel.”

“Admitting it is the first thing, as cliché as it sounds,” D said. “No matter what you do, just keep going.” He rolled out of the room to try and get some food out of Pony.

Kobra glanced at his brother. “I got too much. It’s not like it’s even promised to work.”

Poison shrugged. “Might not be worth throwing away yet,” he said. “Ghoul, Jet, I think all of us do it. I wish we had more instruction, but anything to help us keep running, yeah?”

Kobra nodded, sighing. “I’ll set up a run for her and I out there in a few days,” he said. “Give us some time to gather up plenty of supplies, just in case it runs long.”

“Good idea,” Poison said. “The two of you will probably be gone about a week. Think Jet will handle it well?”

Kobra laughed weakly. “Well, I was hoping Jet would sleep while we were gone. But you know how well Ghoul and him actually listen to me.” 

“We’re going to be weak without you two,” Poison said.

“You guys will be fine.” Kobra gripped Poison’s shoulder tightly and smiled. “We’ll be in and out, you know that. If I even think there’s going to be a threat, I’ll pull us out. Promise.”

Poison managed to smile back. He gripped Kobra’s forearm for a moment. “I know, and I know you can handle it. Just make sure you come back to us. Probably shouldn’t forget her if you want Jet to ever speak to you again,” he joked, his eyes sparkling.

“Of course,” Kobra said. “Wouldn’t imagine leaving her behind.” He shook his head. “I’m going to raid their medicine cabinet and see if they got anything we need so I can buy it off them.” He patted his brother before going into the other room to find Pony and D arguing.

“You’re going to keel over if you keep this up!” Pony said. “Do I have to have Kobra tell you to stop and take a rest?”

“Tell Kobra what?” Kobra arched a brow.

“My ticker is fine,” D said. “I don’t see why you’re making such a fuss.”

“If you keep on eating the way you do and with all this stress you’re going to have a heart attack!” Pony said. “You know your blood pressure is too high. Do I have to pull you off watch duty for a week or two?” He looked to Kobra for back-up.

“Whoa, I’m not getting in the middle of this one,” Kobra said, raising his hand. “D knows how to take care of himself.” He had learned long ago that trying to force D to do anything would just end up with him getting walloped with that cane.

D grinned at Pony. “You got that right,” he said. “Now you let me worry about my heart.”

Pony groaned and glared at Kobra, but he ended up smiling. “What are you looking for?” he said.

“Just wondering if you had any extra antibiotics or anything I could buy off you,” Kobra said, leaning against the wall. “With so many of us down, I just want to make sure no one gets an infection or anything.” 

Pony thought for a moment, then produced a crude first-aid kit. “We don’t have much left. Trying to take care of those ‘Joys kind of ate through our supplies, but you’re welcome to what’s left. I’ll go out and pick up more today, too.”

“Do you mind if I come with you, then?” Kobra said. “I don’t have a ton of Cs on me, but I wouldn’t mind picking up more.”

“Yeah, sure, not a problem. Do you want to roll over or take the car?” Pony couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of Kobra on roller skates.

Kobra raised his hand. “Car, please. Last time we tried that I ended flat on my face.” He laughed. “It was worse than getting into a fight. I have no idea how you do it.”

“Don’t you know I’m made of magic?” Pony laughed at himself and shook his head. “Seriously, though, it took a lot of training and practice. But I just think I had a knack for it.” He winked and headed to get some money out of their supplies and a bag. “We can head out in five if you want.”

Kobra nodded. “I’m just going to let Poison know.” He slipped out and found his brother, waving him over to convey his plan.

“All right,” Poison said. “I’ll see if I can help D find anything on these assholes.” He patted Kobra’s back. “Be careful out there. Come back, yeah?”

Kobra rolled his eyes. “Yes, mom.” He laughed before jogging out to the car. Pony was already waiting for him. He got inside and started moving as soon as he could. “I don’t want to be too long,” he said. “I feel weird being away with everyone hurt.”

“Well, you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes,” Pony said, shifting in his seat. “It’s so cramped in here. I don’t know how you stand it.”

Kobra laughed. “Funny, I thought it was roomier compared to most rides out there anymore.”

Pony shrugged. “Sure as hell isn’t the van, though,” he said. “Ever think Ghoul can get the hacker working again?”

“I don’t think so,” Kobra said. “He said they managed to put a pretty tough virus on there, and we just don’t have the technology to get it out.” 

“Going for our weak point, then.” Pony cursed under his breath. “I just wish we didn’t have to give them what little money we have.” 

“Yeah, it’s only going to get rougher from here, I imagine. People just aren’t paying for jobs like they used to.”

“If all this keeps up, we’ll be broke before year’s end,” Pony said. “I don’t know what else we can do—add more runners? Try for more jobs? What about you guys?”

“We’ll figure something out,” Kobra said. “We always do. Remember two years ago when we couldn’t even get work? Turned out fine then.” He tried to give an encouraging smile, but it fell short.

He pulled up to the vending machine. He double-checked to make sure that his helmet’s visor was down, knowing that Better Living had installed cameras on the machines. He wanted them to know that the ‘Joys were alive and well, and not only that, they were celebrating the fact that they had kicked the company’s ass. 

He smiled as he bought their supplies, loading up Pony’s arms with charge packs and medicine. Before getting in the car, he and Pony checked for tracking devices and cameras. “Looks like we’re clean,” Pony said. Kobra drove away quickly, a dust cloud forming behind the car.

\---

Poison jumped up and winced when he saw the car. He waved them over. “Did you get what you needed?” he said.

“That and plenty more.” Kobra smiled at him before heading to unload their goods. “Don’t be too upset.”

But Poison’s sour look couldn’t be swayed by words. The idea of paying Better Living for the basic supplies they needed to survive made him sick. “We have to get Ghoul to fix those hackers,” he said. 

“I’ll pass it on, but I don’t know what else he could do.”

“All right,” Poison said. “We have to get some technology, then.” 

Kobra pulled him aside. “Listen, we’ll figure something out,” he said.

Poison nodded and helped bring the supplies inside. “Are we heading home after this?” he said, looking over his shoulder.

“Of course,” Kobra said. He piled everything up inside before getting Timid.

“It’s already time for us to go?” she said.

“Yeah, you know the rules,” he said. “But we get to go and relax for a bit?” he offered weakly.

Timid gave a resigned sigh. “He’s been on pins and needles the entire time,” she whispered. “I’m not sure how much going home is going to fix it.” 

He nodded. “This is going to happen sometimes,” he said. “Just gotta give him time to recover.” He patted her shoulder before leading her inside, giving her a look that told her not to talk about it.

Poison took driver’s seat and started back to the hotel. His brows furrowed as he drove, his eyes set on the horizon in front of them. He didn’t check his mirrors or perform any of his usual paranoid motions. He was too wrapped up in the moment to feel anything but anger and exhaustion. 

\---

By the time they reached the hotel, the mood had turned even more foul. Tension rose as Poison stormed out in a huff. Kobra watched him with worried eyes. He noticed the other car was gone and shrugged. There was little he could do to keep Ghoul and Jet at rest, even if their lives depended on it.

Resigning himself to his room, he slumped into one of the chairs he had pulled out of the lobby. His conversation with his brother and Dr. D echoed in his head. Did they need to start some form of group therapy? But when would they have the time or the resources? Money concerns flooded in, and he felt trapped. He couldn’t blame his brother for being upset, even if he disagreed with how he was handling it.

As he watched the sun go down and the colors change, a cold feeling settled inside him. It had been a long time since he really felt like himself: long before his kidnapping, or even the change of the dynamic of the group. The last time he had felt alive was when he was with Harley. Hardly a day went by that she wasn’t on his mind. The guys had tried to hide the truth from him, but he knew she was dead. If she was around, she would have been there for the fight. He had considered talking to Ghoul, but Ghoul seemed to thrive on being solo. Sometimes it was hard not to envy being so free.

Kobra sighed and shook his head, his eyes following the car as it sped back toward the motel. It was hard to stomach the idea of talking about this pain. Over the years, he felt like he had become so much more like Poison. He looked to his feet and scuffed the floor. It was like his identity was slipping through his fingers, and he was becoming a carbon copy of someone else.

He jumped when someone knocked at the door. “What’s up?” he almost choked out, not hiding his surprise.

Poison’s eyes were at his feet. “Can we talk for a bit?” 

Kobra’s stomach tightened as he shut the door behind them. “What’s going on?”

“I’m tired, Kobra,” Poison said.

“Well, go get some sleep, then,” Kobra said. “Unless you think you’re sick?”

“It’s nothing like that.” Poison’s lips pursed and he shook his head. “I’m tired of running.”

“I thought—what?” He couldn’t process what he was being told. “You’re joking, right?”

Poison shot him a look. “I know I was acting like a dickhead earlier, and I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just sick of us being injured and shot at. And maybe—maybe we should give it up.”

Kobra shook his head in disbelief. He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. “I know things have been shit, but that means they’re going to turn around,” he said finally. “We can’t just throw away everything we’ve worked for!”

“Or we could quit while we’re ahead.” Poison closed his eyes. “I know this seems shitty and selfish of me, but I think I’ve been looking at all this the wrong way.”

“How so?” Kobra’s voice shook.

“Maybe these people aren’t a threat, and they’re just the next evolution of the fight.” He looked at his gloved hands, his fingers shaking. “Maybe it’s just time to pass on the torch.”

“I can’t believe my ears,” Kobra said. “What are we supposed to do, then? Run off and wait for this whole thing to blow over, then hope they forget about us?”

“Exactly.” He looked up at Kobra. “We all separate, stop fighting, and hold out until things can be worked out.”

“And when will that be? Months, years? What about D and Pony? Do you just think they’ll roll over for this too? Do you want us to leave them out there if they don’t listen?”

“I can’t control what they do,” Poison said. “I never could. We could find a better life, let someone else get shot at.”

“And who’s that going to be?” Kobra said. “Kids? Zone rats? Not everyone is a hardened runner who can take care of themselves, you know that better than anyone! Would you shield yourself with your girl to keep yourself alive?” 

“Don’t you dare imply that,” Poison hissed. “I’m doing this for her!”

“What, was it her idea or some shit?” Kobra said. “Do you really think she could think these kind of things through?”

“No, of course not!” Poison said. “I mean, she’s not stupid! I haven’t even talked her about this. Just leave her out of it!”

“But she’s in it, Poison,” Kobra said. “She’s a part of this whole song and dance, and I’m going to bring her up as long as she’s a factor.”

“Yeah, and what she’s going to do if I die?” Poison said, tears in his eyes. “She’s got nothing else besides me. If I go, she’s going to die.”

“So will hundreds of other people! What about them? Whose protecting all the goddamn innocents here?”

“They aren’t always the most important thing!” Poison snapped. “If you can handle going out and giving your all in the name of charity that’s fine, great! But maybe I can’t!”

“What the fuck happened to you, man?” Kobra said. “You know this better than anyone, this is why we became these fucking figureheads!” He swung his arm out, motioning to the desert. “This is our home as much as it is theirs. We’ve been getting plenty out of this from the start. Make me understand, Poison, what changed?”

“I can’t keep everyone safe, Kobra. I’ve never been able to.” He lurched forward, grabbing his brother’s jacket in his fists. “If I have to make choices, I’m going to.”

Kobra stared hard at his brother before pulling back. “If that’s how you feel, you need to leave.” He felt like he was being torn apart inside. “If you’re going to do this, to us, to everyone. Fine, but I won’t ever play that game.”

Poison wore a devastated look on his face. “I don’t want you out there dying,” he said. “I’m doing this for you as much as—”

Kobra let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t pretend. You’re not doing this for me, or even her. You’re doing this for yourself. You’re scared, fine, okay, I get it.” He shook his head sadly. “But I meant what I said. I’ll take over, but you need to leave.”

Poison clenched his fists, then let them fall to his sides. He closed his eyes, tears leaking out. “If that’s the way you feel it needs to be, all right.” He embraced his brother. “I love you, man.”

Kobra patted his brother on the back. “Keep in touch,” he whispered. “I’m not banishing you, I still care. I love you, too, I think this is just how things need to be for a bit.” Tears ran down his face.

Poison pulled back, noticing Kobra’s tears. “Of course,” he said. He gripped his brother’s forearm, smiling when he returned the gesture. “I’m sorry,” he managed before leaving the room, pawing at his eyes. 

It was like Poison’s heart had been ripped out. And maybe he was a coward, but there was no way to explain these feelings. They all had to find their own way to live with their choices, and that was all he was trying to do. 

Kobra closed his eyes, not making any attempt to wipe the tears. His body shook as he slumped back against the wall. He curled up on the floor, finally sinking into the pain and sorrow that he had been teetering over.


	30. Nuclear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The choices of their leader weighing heavy on the team, no one seems sure what way is the best to go. With Ghoul considering taking off, his worries fall on Jet.

The day came too soon for everyone. Ghoul couldn’t understand why Poison was leaving. “You’re the leader,” he protested. “You can’t just take off like this. If you go, it’s really hopeless.” 

Poison sighed and patted him on the shoulder, gripping him for a moment. “I can’t explain it,” he said. “I just have to.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Ghoul choked out. “I’m sorry if I fucked up, but—”

“Ghoul,” Poison said. “It has to do with me, no one else.”

“Then why is she going with you?” he said. “Don’t do this!”

“I swear, if I thought it was the right thing to do, I would stay. But the fact is, I’m just cancer to this group right now. I’ll be back someday, I promise.” He tried to smile, but it was weak.

“Why does this feel like some sort of cliché breakup?” Ghoul said. “It’s not you, it’s me kind of thing.”

“Don’t think of it that way,” Poison said, setting down the bag he was packing in the back-up vehicle. “Think of it as me needing a vacation. I just need to disappear for a while, take time to recover kind of thing.”

Ghoul looked up when Jet and Timid arrived. “Tell him he’s crazy,” Ghoul begged.

Jet looked between his friends with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know why you’re doing this,” he said. “I thought things were finally getting between us.” He shook his head weakly. “I know you have your reasons, and even if you tried to explain I doubt I could understand it.” He patted Poison on the shoulder, “Take care of yourself for us”

Poison gave him a crooked smile before embracing him. “Thanks, man,” he said. He nodded politely to Timid. “You guys keep raising hell for me, yeah?”

Ghoul’s stomach knotted, but he finally went in for a hug. “You’ll be back, right?”

“Of course,” he said. “Can’t leave you all alone forever.” He winked and finished packing the last bag in the car. “I promise you guys, we’ll be back before you know it.” 

“I know you’ll do fine out there, but it won’t stop us from worrying,” Timid said. She smiled weakly and extended her hand.

He grasped it firmly and shook it. “Sorry to end this, but we have to be going,” he said. He motioned Revenge over, keeping his hand on her lower back as he led her to the car. She waved goodbye to them. He started the car and drove off before something could change his mind.

Revenge took his hand. “You all right?” she whispered, locking their fingers tightly. 

“I will be.” He kissed her knuckles before letting their hands fall back down. “I know I’ll miss them, but sometimes you just need to do what’s best for you. Even when the people who love you can’t see it.”

Revenge nodded solemnly and looked out the windshield. “Do you think we’ll really find some place safe?”

“I know we will,” Poison said.

\---

As soon as Poison left, Ghoul felt tossed aside, abandoned. When he checked the kitchen, seeing the half-empty shelves killed his appetite. Jet turned to Timid. “Do you want to go hunting, try to get out of the house and all that?” he said.

“Sounds great,” she said. “Let me grab my gear.”

Timid headed to the room she had been keeping her hunting gear in. Her filleting knives had been sharpened the night before. She tucked a blade behind her calf before looking up. The silence of the hotel felt eerie. Even if Poison needed a vacation, she would never understand how he could just take off. But she shook her head, resigning herself to staying quiet. No one needed another argument when there was so much going on.

She left the room, her muddled thoughts showing on her face. She tried to smile when she saw Jet and found herself tight in his arms.

“Are you all right?” he whispered, cupping her cheeks and making her look him in the eyes. “Are you okay to hunt?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said and looked away. “Just kind of a sad day, no matter how you slice it.” She tried to smile and kissed him instead. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Of course I am, where else would I be?” he teased. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Now, on a happier note, have you been setting the traps?”

“A few weren’t set off last time, so they’re still waiting. But other than that, I haven’t done much.” She nearly groaned the end, hating to admit she’d been too busy for the one thing she’d been brought here to do.

He smiled at her and bumped her with his hip. “No problem,” he said. “We can get those set tonight and hopefully find enough meat to make us a decent stew. It’s been a while since we had a big cook-up.”

Timid nodded and smiled. “I love making stew,” she said.

Jet laughed. “That you do,” he said. “Come on.” He smiled as he led her outside, sliding his glasses on his face. He was smiling so widely that he was sure he’d be digging bugs and dirt out of his teeth later, but he couldn’t stop. Even in the face of all this, she made him so happy.

Timid found a rabbit and two snakes in the traps. “We’re going to have rabbit stew tonight!” she said. She picked a few herbs as she looked for lizards to kill.

“I got another one over here,” Jet said. He pulled the carcass up by its feet.

“I think we got plenty for the night,” Timid said. “Do you want to get extra?”

“Nah, gives me an excuse to go out tomorrow,” he said.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “If that’s what’s best,” she said. “I hope we get a good chunk of meat tomorrow from all this.” She set a few snares. “Maybe I should teach you to cook,” she blurted out.

He looked over, shocked. “I mean, I can sort of cook,” he said. “Not like you, but I know the very basics.” He thought for a moment. “I think it would be a good thing for me, though. Especially with Kobra so hard on my ass. Sure, teach me to cook, Tim!”

She laughed. “I didn’t know you really didn’t know how to cook,” she admitted, her cheeks turning red. “I just like spending time with you.”

He took her face in his free hand. “I like being with you too, Timid. I love you.” He kissed her before she could respond.

She nearly dropped her kills as they kissed more intensely. “I love you, too.” She gasped when they finally broke apart, her head swimming.

He chuckled huskily and pressed their foreheads together for a moment. “Wow.” He laughed before shaking his head. “That was awesome.”

“You’re awesome,” she said.

They headed back to the hotel. Now and again she brushed her body against his and smiled coyly. Jet laughed, his hand finding her back. “You did good, Tim,” he said.

“You think so?” she said. “I worry that I haven’t really done a lot.”

“But you have,” he said. “With all of us injured like this, you and Kobra have taken on so much. I’m really proud of you. You should be proud of yourself. I know it takes a lot out of a person.”

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded, sniffing them back the best she could. “Thank you,” she said. “I know it can’t be easy on your end.”

“It’s not,” he said, gazing ahead. “But this fight has never been about the easy thing. It’s supposed to be the right thing.”

Timid stopped when they were outside the hotel and looked up at him. “You should be proud of yourself,” she whispered. “Even if you can’t see it, I see you recovering and trying to work. I think it’s beautiful.”

He swallowed and looked at her with kind eyes. “Come on, let’s get these skinned and gutted and start working on that stew.”

His followed her to the kitchen, carefully helping her work. Her hands worked quickly, not hesitating for a moment. “It’s nice to get back to my roots,” she said with a laugh. “I never thought I’d miss gutting a kill, but here we are.”

Jet grinned. “All this extra work, it wears you down. Not a lot of people see how exhausting running can be. Guess you got the first-hand experience?”

“Something like that.” She guided his hands on the rabbit to move a bit more quickly. “I think part of it is that my work is kind of predictable—not entirely, but much more so than fighting Dracs.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’m just glad you’re here, no matter what work you do,” he said.

Timid laughed and stole another kiss before cleaning the rest of her kills. When the meat was prepared, she began working on her stew. “I hope the guys like this,” she said, watching the pan heat up. “It would be a nice change of pace, since we’ve been on Pup a lot lately.”

“Among other things,” he said. His hands traced her form, smiling at how her skin felt. “I think you and I should go to bed early tonight,” he purred, resting his chin on her shoulder.

She couldn’t help but giggle. “That could be arranged.”

Jet sniggered and pulled her tight, enjoying their kisses, forgetting about the food, the drama, the unrest. In that moment, there was only her.

\---

Poison looked the small shack up and down. It wasn’t much bigger than the station, but that was plenty for D and Pony, and this would be plenty for him and Revenge. He helped carry the bags inside. “What do you think?” He glanced toward Revenge.

She smiled weakly. It was a step down from the diner, but he was trying to make this easier. “I’m glad we got our own place.” She smiled and cupped his face, kissing him gently. “I love it.”

He smiled at her before pulling her in tightly. “I’m doing this for us,” he whispered. “I know it’s not exactly a dream, but as long as we’re together, any place is perfect to me.”

“That’s so sweet,” she whispered, pressing their foreheads together. “I can’t believe you feel that way.”

“Of course I do.” He stroked her cheek, letting his fingers slide down, gently brushing the length of her hair. “I’d do anything for you Revenge. You’ve got to know that.”

She nodded. “I mean, it’s one thing to say it, but seeing what you’re doing is like a whole ‘nother impact.” She laced their fingers together. “I love you.”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead gently. “I love you, too.” He let his face rest against hers for a moment before pulling back, placing his hand on her lower back.

She smiled and sighed, her head resting on his shoulder “So this is it, then. Might as well start putting our shit away.”

He helped her unpack all their things. “I think once we get it all set up and cleaned, it’ll turn out nicely.” He smiled at her. “I know you got a thing for that, so I’ll trust you when it comes to decorating.”

Revenge laughed as she pulled out his extra set of clothes. “Might take a while,” she said. “First, let’s just see what we have with us.”

“I’ll go out and see what I can find as far as cooking.” He groaned, stretching his arms. “That drive has me all cramped up.”

Revenge snuck up behind him before pulling him into a tighter hug. “Or maybe you should just stay here with me forever.” She snickered, nuzzling her face into the nape of his neck.

Poison laughed, squirming and trying to turn around. “Now you’re not being fair,” he said. “I’d love to stay home with you if I could. But I have to keep doing something. Laying low only goes so far. Gotta treat my girl to some good.”

Revenge sighed, playing up her disappointment. But she burst out laughing as he started laying little kisses all over her face. “Oh, fuck,” she cried. She tried to get away and ended up falling her rear, effectively dragging Poison down with her. 

“I got you,” he snickered and pulled her into a hug. Poison’s heart soared as they looked into each other’s eyes. He felt so alive.

\---

Jet was happy to be back to running. He had finally gotten more strength back. He had learned to make all the snares Timid could teach him, and they started trying to make some of their own before he was officially medically cleared. But he was growing increasingly wary of Timid being sent out to find intel. He hated them being so far apart, but he put up with it.

He headed for Ghoul’s room and knocked on the door. “You in there?” Jet called.

Ghoul opened the door, looking sleep-deprived. He hadn’t shaved in a few days. “Whassup?” Ghoul slurred through a yawn.

“Thinking too much.” Jet laughed. “Any news on the radio?” He had hoped that there was something to let him know that Timid was all right.

“Mmm…part of that rebellion was taken out,” he said, scratching his chin. “They’re blaming it on us, but I’m not sure if Kobra would be okay with attacking without back-up.”

Jet sighed. “Even if it wasn’t them, that just means they’re going be more and more pissed off at us. Any ideas on how D wants us to handle it?” He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ghoul shook his head. “Even if we don’t get a greenlight, I think you and I are going to have to handle this,” he said. “I’m tired of waiting around for approval. What happened to the days when we were in charge of our own runs?”

Jet frowned. “You thinking about going rouge?”

“I don’t know about rouge, but I wouldn’t mind showing that we can handle ourselves,” he said. “I just feel like we’re so caught up with our heads up our asses. Maybe we should just go in and fuck them up.”

Jet sighed. “It’s not that I don’t agree with you, but it might cause a lot more damage to fuck off and do whatever pops into our heads,” he said. “I get why this has fallen into the place it has. But I do miss the old days.”

“You think if we went out and handled some of this shit, they’d open their eyes?”

Jet let out a hearty laugh. “I would hope so. If you are going to run out and blow some shit up, at least give me a heads up so I can go with you. It would be a bitch to handle alone.”

Ghoul bit his lip, the wheels turning in his head. “How about we wait for those two to go on their next run and try it? I mean, we couldn’t mount a massive attack, but we could give a bit of payback to those fuckers for messing with our battle.”

“I’d like nothing more,” Jet said.

“Not a word to Timid, even,” Ghoul added, cracking his knuckles. “I don’t want her to rat us out to Kobra and ruin everything. Lately he’s just been following the rules and it’s making me crazy.” He groaned and shook his head. “What went wrong?”

“Like I said, I think we got so caught up in the idea of getting the most done, with the least amount of damage to others, we forgot who we are,” Jet said. “I wonder what I could have done differently—called out bullshit more often, or tried something else.” He stopped himself before he started to ramble. “Doesn’t matter now, I guess.”

Ghoul shrugged. “No use wasting time. Come on, let’s load up some goods.” He went downstairs and headed for the old crumbling parking lot cover he had been using to do repair work.

Jet stretched his arms and followed. “Fall’s coming,” he yawned. “You ready for the cold?”

“Gotta layer up.” Ghoul grinned, flexing his arm to show off his shirt and vest. “It’s always worked for me. I’m telling you, don’t go for the long sleeved jackets.”

Jet rolled his eyes. “It’s a snappy fashion choice. I’d rather be too hot then risk getting my arm shot off,” he added, shaking his head. “How are you going to work on cars if you’re missing your right arm?”

“I’ll use my mouth.” Ghoul laughed and stuck out his tongue. “So I got some bombs and a few grenades I didn’t use on our last fight. Might come in handy.” He pulled an old bag from storage.

Jet nodded. “Might help bring down some of the structures around them, too. Make sure they can’t just flee.” He knelt down, helping Ghoul load up everything.

“Exactly. I’m sick of them running their mouths about us and thinking they can just get away with it. I just want to wipe them off the face of these goddamned Zones.”

Jet paused for a moment, worried about Ghoul’s thinking, but shrugged it off. “It’ll be all right, man,” he said. “We won’t let them get away.”

Ghoul stood up. “I’ll take my bike. You can take Kobra’s. We might be able to move quicker that way.”

“Good idea. Will we need rations?”

Ghoul paused for a moment and nodded. “Better throw them in there. I’m just antsy to get this over with.” He let out a weak chuckle and shook his head. “I’m ready to stop talking and do this shit.”


	31. Doubt is a Poison, stronger then Cyanide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When tempers flare up, and actions have grave concenquences. Leading to Kobra's concern of his ability as a leader. After a talk with Poison he tries to get his head on straght and fix the mess they had found themselves in. Easier said then done.

The air was hot in Ghoul’s face. They gave Timid and Kobra a half-hour head start, hoping they wouldn’t double back. They decided to go to a location that was a little further out. It was a well-known spot for the group to recruit other ‘Joys to try to bring the Four down. Just the thought of it made Ghoul feel sick. They did so much, tried so many options. Fighting was the only thing that got Better Living’s attention. He shifted his weight as they turned onto the asphalt road. It was always a lot easier then dealing with sand, and did less damage to the bikes.

Jet was trailing behind him. Every so often, he glanced over his shoulder, double-checking that he was still there. A feeling nagged at the back of his head that Jet would try to back out on him. It was ridiculous and unfounded, but it lingered nonetheless. His body felt like it was on fire. He tried to shrug it off as the latex of his mask getting to him, and debated pulling over to switch to his sunglasses. Maybe it was just the excitement of finally getting back to normal.

The location wasn’t too far off from their point. He pulled off the road again, signaling Jet to follow. He wanted the advantage of surprise on this one. He was tired of pulling up for a firefight and having a line of enemies waiting for them. He didn’t even want to ask for a surrender; he just wanted to blow everything up, torch the place, and get the fuck out. Jet wasn’t as keen on that idea as he was. When did he start having to convince his team to fight like they always did? Maybe Jet was against him, too—

Ghoul jerked his head to try to break out of the thoughts. It was just going to make him even more paranoid. But why shouldn’t he be, after being injured and hearing the constant threats against them? He tried to laugh it off, but the paranoia simmered below the surface. Now he was constantly looking over his shoulder, expecting an Exterminator or rouge ‘Joy try to take him out. It was total and utter madness, and it was going to end today.

When they pulled up to the location, Ghoul looked around, making sure they were in the right spot. He knew the Zones much better than most people, and had a natural sense of direction. But the last thing they wanted was to piss off another group. He pulled back his mask for a second to get a breath of air that didn’t taste like burning plastic. He nodded for Jet to get off the bike and carefully started planting explosives around the base behind the building. Whenever one of them ran to get more explosives from the duffel bags, the other watched his back, expecting to be jumped at any second.

Once the explosives were in place, it was as easy as tossing a few grenades. The shrapnel was flying by the time they reached their bikes. They were far enough away to enjoy the fireworks, but close enough that dirt still splattered on their clothing. The old building didn’t even creak as it collapsed into the sand. There were screams, but Ghoul scanned the buildings, making sure no one was getting out. With a quick nod, he mounted his bike and sprung it into action, peeling off from the scene.

Jet’s eyes watched a moment longer before he took off. They had to vacate, but guilt still tore at him. He wondered if someone else was hurt. He had known they were going to go back to this, but it was hard to drive away from the flaming remains and the screams of trapped dwellers. If Timid had been trapped like that, and her screams were ignored…it was like a punch in the gut. He hated it, hated himself. They would have to fess up to what they did, whether Ghoul liked it or not.

Jet’s drive home was filled with muddled thoughts. He wondered if Ghoul felt any remorse, any worry or regret. It was hard to tell; even from here, he could tell Ghoul was much too pleased with himself for going through with this attack. But the blood was on his hands, as well. All he could do was keep running.

When they returned to the hotel, Kobra ran up to them, his arms crossed over his chest. “What did you two do?” he said.

Ghoul shrugged as he pulled his mask off and reached for his cigarettes. “I took care of business,” he said. “Something no one else seems able to do lately.”

Kobra sighed with frustration. “What did you torch?”

“Didn’t so much torch as blew up. Took down one of the recruitment centers. You’re welcome.”

Kobra pinched the bridge of his nose. “Now they’re gunning for us even more,” he said. “If you were going to go off the rails and piss them off, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I’m sick of the bureaucratic bullshit we have going on,” Ghoul said. “If I wanted orders on how to run and fight, I would become a Drac. We’re not any better than them if we can’t forge our own path.”

Kobra opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. “Listen,” he said. “I get things have become kind of strict around here lately, and I’m sorry. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to antagonize these guys.”

“And why not? We could take them out, Kobra. Just fight them head on, and bam, no more problems. We’re free to resume our lives and focus on fighting against Better Living again!” Ghoul threw his arms up.

Kobra sighed. “It’s not that simple and you know it,” he said. “There are confused Zone kids in there who don’t know any better.”

“Yeah, and Dracs are just brainwashed citizens. We aren’t saints, and the second we try to be we become hypocritical. If you want to preach about peace and understanding, you’re in the wrong goddamn line of work.”

Kobra left the conversation, feeling like a failure. Since his brother had gotten hurt, he’d essentially taken over as leader, and effectively run them into the ground. His thoughts stormed across his face. He cringed when he saw his own reflection. What was he doing? What was he becoming? 

He headed over the radio and called his brother on the CB. “You out there?” he said, praying that Poison would answer the questions on his mind.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” came the familiar voice.

Kobra instantly felt better. He poured his doubts and concerns into the radio. Someone could finally understand these pressures.

Poison scoffed. “Of course you’re a good leader,” he said. “If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be concerned with how everyone else was handling things, or how their choices affect the team. Kobra, if anything, you’re a great leader. You could probably take D’s spot if he retired.”

His jaw dropped. Tears sprung to his eyes. “You mean that?” he whispered.

“Course I do, I wouldn’t lie to you.” He could hear the smile in his brother’s voice. “The team basically fell apart without you when you were gone. I don’t think you see what a key part of the Four you are. You’re the glue that holds everything together, man. They—I mean, we all need you.”

Kobra stared at the radio for a moment, wishing he could see Poison’s face. “I miss you,” he admitted. “I know you’re off and taking your time to recover, but I do wish you were here.” He sighed deeply and shook his head. “But enough about me. How’s things on your end?”

Poison laughed. “I’m here to listen to you, whenever you need it and for as long as you need it,” he said. “I’m fine, things are all right. Carbons are a bit tight, but we’re getting by better than I could have hoped.”

“Yeah?” Kobra said softly, a small smile coming to his face. “I’m really glad to hear that. You deserve some time to recover and feel a bit better.”

“Hey, man, we all do. If you need out, I’d help you. But I doubt anything I say or do is going to sway you away for now.” 

“Yeah, now that Ghoul’s adding fuel to the fire, I think we’re going to be that much more on edge for a bit.” He cringed as he spoke, but shook it off. “I’ll handle it, though. Don’t you worry about that.”

“I wouldn’t.” Poison laughed. “I have nothing but total faith you, man. I love you”

Kobra swallowed and nodded, the tears forming again. Something about hearing it from so far away just struck him in the chest. “I love you, too,” he said. “I’m really proud of you going out and taking care of yourself. I don’t want you thinking there’s anything but hope for you coming from me.”

“Thanks, man, I really appreciate that,” Poison said. “I wouldn’t have doubted it, though. You were so supportive. I should be in touch more often, but time just seems to be getting away from me these days.” He chuckled. “It’s a nice feeling to not be worrying all the time.”

Kobra smiled and closed his eyes. “I’m glad. I really hope it helps you get your head together. And thanks again, for listening and all” 

“Like I said I’m always here for you, no matter where I’m staying, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. I’m your brother, no matter what.”

“Thanks again. I’ll let you go. And, you know, if you ever want to come back, even if it’s only to see us for a bit or something, please come over.”

Poison laughed. “I’ll fit it in soon enough, I promise. After all, I wouldn’t want you guys having too much fun without me.” Kobra’s face lit up. Poison’s playful tone made him feel hopeful.

\---

Poison squinted as the sun came up. He had a hard time sleeping after his call with his brother. He was starting to realize that his brother was right. He was scared of the future, of what he was doing. And now those worries had been passed down to his younger brother. He watched Revenge sleep for a few moments, trying to remind himself why he needed to leave. He crept out of their small dusty bedroom and turned on the beaten-up radio he kept by the door.

Slumping down in a seat, he lit a cigarette and fiddled with the coffee maker. The coffee tasted like watered-down piss, but it was better than nothing at all. Exhaling smoke, he flipped through the channels. D’s station was static; he must’ve just missed his broadcast. It usually ran past sunrise, but D had probably been exhausted. The Zones did not treat you kindly when you were aging. Even Poison could feel it in his bones. He wasn’t the wild young runner he used to be.

He flicked his ash to the ground and stared at his filthy boots. He felt like a ghost of himself. The runner who used to take on Drac squads was like a distant memory. He glanced over to the bedroom. Did she love the man he was becoming? Or did she never love who he was before? Part of him wanted to crawl in bed with her never get out. But he could never stop running. He was starting to feel more like D: helping people set up supply runs, running junk to Tommy, trying to make a few carbons where he could. 

He looked sadly at his faint reflection in the mirror. His roots were starting to fade, and he could see the muddy brown color from his childhood peeking through. He’d been toying with the idea of changing the color, or not dying it at all. Make it easier for him to blend in, get away from the image of the Fab Four’s badass leader. But something in him wouldn’t allow it. And if he didn’t try to keep it up, Revenge might start worrying about him. That was the last thing he needed.

He moved back to their room and carefully shook her by the hip till her eyes opened “Just missed you,” he mumbled, crawling behind her.

She smiled and pulled him closer, letting out a sigh when he relaxed. “I’m glad you woke me up,” she whispered.

He smiled sadly and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad I did, too.” His fear was still there, bubbling against the surface. But as he focused on the pattern of her breathing, he felt safe again.

\---

Revenge rubbed her eyes with a weak yawn. “Are you sure you need me?” she groaned as he got ready. 

“I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he said, lazily tugging his shirt over his head. “Plus, it’ll do you good to get out of here. We’ve been cooped up for too long.”

She let out a noise, but finished getting dressed. “What ever happened to laying low?” She pouted, tugging her boots on with effort.

He chuckled. “We still gotta eat.” He sat next to her, stealing a quick kiss. “Something on your mind?”

“I just was wondering if I should go back to working again,” she said. “You know, dancing?” Her face fell when she saw his frown.

“No way,” he said. “I got you out of that life, I don’t want you running back to that. I don’t care if we’re starving. You’re beyond that now.”

“Poison, it’s not like it’s the most fun thing ever for me,” she said. “But I was just thinking. It would bring in carbons and you wouldn’t be out running. Why are you being so stubborn?”

“You haven’t even danced in years,” he said. “Revenge, I took you with us because I saw that asshole beating you down. I don’t want you working something like that again, and I just—I don’t want you to go back to those things. If I let you, I’m a failure.”

She frowned. “Poison, if it’s what I have to do, I’m going to do it for us. I don’t want to be scrimping by to the point we aren’t even enjoying life. And if it’s what I have to do, I will.”

“You won’t,” he said. “End of discussion.”

Revenge watched him for a moment and let out a weak sigh. “I love you,” she mumbled before heading to wait outside for him.

Poison waited a moment before following her. “Revenge, I love you too,” he said. “Just let me take care of you, all right? Can you trust me on this? This is for the best, I promise.”

She embraced him for a few moments. “I just worry about you, too,” she said. “I don’t want you working yourself into an early grave trying to provide for us. If I can help, I want to.”

He smiled and took her face, pressing a gentle kiss to her nose. “I know, baby. But I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect you, I promise.”

Revenge smiled and nodded. “Okay,” she said. She watched him as he started the car. She always thought he was sexy when he drove.

Poison couldn’t help but smirk when he felt her eyes on him. He reached for his hand and kissed her knuckles, giving each of her fingers attention as well. Revenge let out happy noises. “Poison!” she squealed, pulling back.

He slowed the car with a smile, his hands cradling her head as soon as he pulled to a stop. “Yes?” he whispered before pressing their lips together. Electricity coursed through his body. His hands danced along her skin as they became entwined. By the time their game had ended, his head was resting on her shoulder, his fingers stroking her bare sweaty skin. “I love you,” he said and nuzzled closer to her. “I love you so much.”

Revenge laughed, her arms wrapped around him tightly. “I love you, too,” she said. She pulled away only when the sun started beating down on her. She sought some covering with her clothing. “Well, that was unexpected.”

He laughed. “Unexpected isn’t a bad thing, I hope,” he said.

Revenge grinned, handing him his shirt. “Of course it’s not a bad thing,” she said. “I missed it. I really missed it.”

He took her face in his hands and carefully kissed her again. “I don’t ever want us to go without it like that again,” he said. “I know things have been crazy, but I never want that to be the reason I’m not with you.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” she whispered. “I don’t want you thinking it is or anything. These things, they just happen sometimes, and we’ve had more important things to deal with.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. Speaking of important, we should probably go find some food, huh?” 

Revenge nodded. She held his hand tightly as he drove to an old, crumbling building. “Where are we?” she said, glancing around the barren landscape.

“Just a place I’ve been working on with Tommy. He’s trying to set up another shop, just for food instead of his usual oddities.” Poison chuckled. “He’s been paying me to help out around here, so it’s basically what’s providing for us.”

Revenge was shocked. “That’s incredibly generous of him,” she said. She held Poison’s hand loosely as they headed inside.

It was more like a warehouse than a market, and far from fully stocked, but they had enough food and water for the pick-up. He paid first thing and smiled when he got the supplies, letting Revenge help carry everything to the car. Maybe if she felt like she was helping out a bit more, it would squash any thought she had of going back to dancing.

Poison hummed as they worked. “Maybe I should do more physical work,” he said. “It’s relaxing.”

She laughed. “I guess if you find work relaxing.” She climbed into the car and hugged her knees while she waited for him to get moving.

“You ever want to drive?” Poison said as he drove. “It might be fun for you.”

“I never really learned,” she said. “Aren’t you supposed to get me reading first, anyway?” 

“Well, I do have more time,” he said. “We could start working on it again—only if you want to, that is,” he added. “You don’t have to change for me”

She laughed. “I think we’d both be better off if I knew more than half the alphabet,” she said. “We might have to go slow again, though.”

He shrugged. “I mean, I have plenty of time right now. As long as you’re sure it’s what you want.”

Revenge nodded, giving him a bigger smile. “Plus, I think it speaks to how awesome you are.” She winked and giggled.

Poison laughed and shook his head. “You never cease to amaze me, you know that?”

She grinned. “No, but I’m glad to hear it.”


	32. Boozey Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the pressures get to be too much, Poison's return couldn't have come at a better time. Paranoia and rumors of Timid and Kobra's friendship are starting to mount, much to his dismay. After stepping down as a leader, leading him to feel like a failure. Meanwhile Ghoul shrugs off responsibility and lets loose.

Kobra sighed as he returned from another supply run. Supplies had been disappearing faster than he could buy them. D helped out more than a few times, and it was becoming embarrassing for him. Poison was coming to visit today and Kobra didn’t want him to see how much they were struggling. But everyone wanted Poison back. Someone had tried to set fire to Tommy’s store a few days ago, undoubtedly in revenge for the attack on their building.

He stopped the car and started lugging the food and water inside. Timid was sitting inside, her face blank. A group of kids had recently lost their lives in a firefight, all because someone had started an argument. “You okay?” he said, knowing he wouldn’t get a response. Ever since she had told them what happened, she couldn’t speak without sobbing. Timid tried to smile, then carried the rest of the supplies inside. 

Kobra shrugged and loaded the supplies in the kitchen. He grabbed one of the grittier cans of Pup. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten. Slumping down in the front room, he watched the windows, waiting for his brother to pull up.

Ghoul came out, a cigarette clasped between his lips. “So he’s coming today?” he said.

“Yeah,” Kobra mumbled between loud bites. “I’m going ask him to take over again.”

“Poison shouldn’t have left in the first place,” Ghoul said. He snuffed out his cigarette, brushing the ash off his hand. “I hope he agrees.”

Kobra nodded. “I see that now, but it means nothing until he agrees as well.” He leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Any news on the waves?”

“They’re making threats on D now,” Ghoul said. “Saying if he doesn’t stop broadcasting, they’re going to shoot him in the head. Their usual bullshit.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kobra muttered.

“I just did what I thought was right,” Ghoul said. “You guys don’t have to condone it or agree with it. But it’s done.”

Kobra looked at his hands. “I’m aware,” he said. “I’m not trying to punish you or anything, it’s just been stressful. If I was that upset, I would have kicked you out. But I understand.”

Ghoul nodded. “Thanks, man,” he said before heading to the kitchen to check on Timid.

Kobra turned back to the window, a weak smile forming when he saw the car shining in the sunlight. He went outside to greet the couple. Poison got out first and jogged around the car to open the car for Revenge. “You okay?” he whispered, kissing her cheek.

She laughed and nodded. “Just a bit tired from last night.”

Poison waved at his brother and embraced him once he was close enough. “I missed you,” he said. He sighed as he held him tight.

Kobra hugged him, patting his back. “It’s good to see your face again,” he said. “Come on in.” He smiled sadly. Poison looked so happy that he felt bad for what he was going to ask him.

Poison sauntered inside, unable to stop grinning. “Goddamn, I missed this place,” he said, slinging his arm over Revenge’s shoulder. “Good to see it’s still in one piece.”

Kobra laughed weakly. “Well, we do what we can,” he said. “It’s been a busy season lately. How’s the move been on you two?”

“Great, actually.” Poison smiled and looked at him with soft eyes. “Our place is tiny and nothing grand, but it’s been really nice to just have some time to ourselves.”

Revenge nodded. “We get by, but it’s been way less stressful.”

Kobra exhaled and nodded. “Let me get the guys,” he said.

Jet hugged Poison when he entered the room. “You’re alive,” he said, laughing weakly. His eyes were tired. 

“Yeah, I am,” Poison said. “Whoa, man, you look exhausted.” Poison frowned when he pulled back, looking him up and down. He was unshaven and filthier than usual. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve basically been working double overtime,” Jet said, wiping some of the dirt off his cheeks. “There have been so many attacks from this group. Every time I try to sleep, I get called for a run.”

Poison patted his back weakly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope it breaks up soon.”

“How’s it been for you?” Jet said, almost jealous of how well-rested Poison looked.

Poison smiled sadly. “I don’t want to rehash it too much, so I’ll explain it when Ghoul gets here. Is Timid still around?”

Jet’s face fell. “Yes, but this has been the hardest on her,” he said quietly. “I feel like I should be doing more, but I don’t know what I have to give.”

“What’s going on?” Poison said. “Is she all right?”

“She saw a bunch of kids killed and can’t speak anymore. When she tries, it’s just—you can’t understand it.” He looked down. “I’ve tried everything I can think of, and it’s still not enough. It’s seriously discouraging. I wonder if she would have been better off never meeting me.”

Poison frowned. “I’ve been there, man,” he said. “But I’m sure she’s by your side because she wants to be, not because she expects you to fix everything for her. Try to keep your chin up.” He hugged Jet again, only letting go when the others joined them.

Ghoul hugged Poison without a word. “You’re back,” he whispered.

Poison smiled softly. “Of course I’m back,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d expect me to never visit. Gotta make sure you guys didn’t wreck my car up yet.” His tone turned serious. “What’s going on, guys? You all look horrible.”

“Things have…they’ve been really bad,” Kobra said, sitting down and cradling his face in his hands. “The attacks are getting so bad, I can’t even find time to recoup between them. They’re wearing us down, Poison. We need you back.”

Poison stared at his brother in shock. The idea of them asking him to stay had never crossed his mind. He wanted to say no until he looked into their eyes. “All right,” he managed. “But we get a week to get our things together and move back.”

Revenge took his hand. “I’ll try to get our things moved out as fast as we can,” she said.

Poison smiled and kissed her hand. “Is that fair enough for everyone?” he said.

Kobra nearly broke down crying. “Thank you,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Thank you so much.”

Poison released Revenge’s hand to hug his brother. “I won’t let you guys go through this alone,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way through this.” He gave him a weak smile, but he meant what he said. “I’ll need a briefing today, and we’ll go from there. I’ll take over leadership and work by radio as much as I can.”

Kobra nodded and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, sniffing. He felt like he was still a kid and his brother was standing up for him again. “Got it,” he said. “We should start right away, then.” He shook his head and motioned for the guys to follow him to the back room.

Poison cleared his throat, naturally falling back into the leader role. “So what’s the most important thing?” he said.

“Ghoul and I blew up one of their recruitment buildings,” Jet said. “Since then, they’ve been retaliating, even against Tommy. They’ve made threats against D as well.”

“All right. What have they been doing to retaliate?”

“Trying to blow up Tommy’s store, threatening to execute D, blowing up sites, causing problems in general,” Kobra said. “I think they’re trying to catch us fighting back and kill us.”

Poison nodded. “It sounds like we need to take them out as soon as possible,” he said. “They’re causing as many problems as Better Living.” He turned to the maps pinned to the walls and picked up a marker, making notes alongside their recon. “So they focus on Zone Three?”

“They seem to favor the edges of the Zones,” Kobra said, pointing to a few attack sites along Zone Five. “I was thinking their main base had to be in one, but I’m not so sure how strong Better Living’s hold was when all this started. There was no way they’d allow this.”

“Unless they were hoping that they’d kill us,” Ghoul said, leaning back on one of the tables. “Would be a pretty smooth cover up, after all.”

“What do you mean?” Kobra said.

“Well, think about it. I know they painted us as criminals, which only covers up so much. But if they let this other group take us out, it absolves them of a motive. They could even paint themselves the saviors of the Zones, win over more Zone dwellers.”

“And they could use Better Living’s protection to help conceal themselves even further,” Kobra said, everything falling into place. “So then—”

“Zone One is our best bet,” Poison finished. “Right. So you three need to rest up if we’re going on a search mission. I’ll move back and straighten things out. You guys need to get plenty of sleep and get back to full strength, I can’t have you all falling asleep during a stakeout.” He shifted his weight. “Have they made any demands or anything?”

“Aside from turning ourselves in over nothing,” Ghoul said. “They don’t have any real leverage on us since we moved, so there hasn’t been much reason to even think about their bullshit.”

“Well, that works in our favor,” Poison said. “We need to keep the hotel safe. Kobra, you’ll stay here, keep an eye on the girls and keep them from finding us.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “We still have our work cut out for us, but things could be a hell of a lot worse.”

“What about Timid?” Jet said sadly.

“She has to be in some form of shock. Kobra, you have to work with her, help pull her out of this.” He grabbed his brother’s shoulders. “You can do this, all right? You did a great job taking care of everything.”

Kobra was shocked. He had been expecting Poison to chew him out. How could Poison expect him to help anyone? “Got it,” he said, ignoring the voices telling him that they were all lying. They just had to keep moving.

\---

Poison said nothing as they drove back. He didn’t even glance in her direction. He felt guilty for making such a big decision without talking it over with her. “I’m sorry,” he said finally.

“It’s fine,” she sighed, looking out the window. “I mean, I get it.”

“It’s not fine, though. I know I promised you I wouldn’t go back, but I couldn’t let him fall apart like that.” 

When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Kobra breaking down. He had known that he could handle it, but now he saw that Kobra himself couldn’t see it.

She shrugged and slumped down in her chair. “They’re always going to be your family,” she said. “I’m proud of you, actually. You made a choice to put them ahead of yourself. That isn’t easy.”

He looked over and smiled weakly, taking her hand. “I’ll still teach you to read,” he said. “Things will be busy, but I promised you we’d keep up on that, and no matter where we are, I intend to keep it.”

Revenge laughed. “You focus on the weirdest things sometimes.”

He snickered. “A promise is a promise, my dear,” he whispered, pressing kisses to her knuckles. “We still have this week, though. I have to make noise on the waves a few times a day, but I want to be with you as much as possible before I start running again.”

Revenge nodded. “It feels a lot better since you started talking,” she said. “You don’t have to explain any of this to me or anything, but I’m glad you did.”

His smile grew wider. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have stumbled on you out here, but sometimes the desert gives me the greatest gifts in life,” he said, turning back to the road. “I love you.”

\---

Life had gotten so much better for Kobra since Poison took over again. He had found time to work with Timid and slowly, very slowly, she was starting to deal with her feelings instead of letting them rule her. She was experiencing symptoms akin to post traumatic stress disorder, though he wasn’t confident in diagnosing her. As of now, she was writing everything down instead of speaking. There was no medication he could give her, aside from street drugs, and he would never allow that. But she was able to eat on her own again.

Kobra smiled at her as she ate. “You’re doing great, Timid,” he said as she took another bite.

She smiled back, then scribbled on a piece of paper: Do I have to finish the entire thing?

“I’d really like if you could try,” he said. “But just do your best. You’re going to get there, I have no doubt about it.”

Timid gave him a big smile. Every bite was slow and methodical, but eventually she was able to finish an entire can of food. She didn’t have the terrifying pain and anxiety she had been expecting.

Kobra gently patted her back. “See, you got this,” he said. “I’m going to keep working with you until everything calms down.”

Jet headed in, his eyes tired. “Hey, guys.” He yawned, plopping himself next to Timid and draping his arm around her. He gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “How’s my girl doing, Doc?”

“Better,” Kobra said. “Much better. She’s eating more, communicating more. Anything you want to add, Tim?”

She leaned forward over the table, carefully writing. I think I don’t feel as sick, it’s a nice change of pace. She gave them a thumbs up. Will you be sticking around for a bit?

“‘Course I am,” Jet said. “I’m not supposed to run right now, so there’s no better use of my time than being right here with you.” He kissed her forehead.

Timid smiled and wrapped her arms loosely around him, Kobra stood up, feeling like he was intruding. “I’m going to go check on Ghoul,” he said as he left the room.

He knocked on Ghoul’s door. “You busy?” he said.

Ghoul yawned and stretched. His hair was a mess. “Not really,” he said. “I can’t wait until we’re so busy we don’t have time to be bored.” He rubbed at his eyes. “What’s up?”

“Eh, I wanted to leave the lovebirds alone.” He sat at the table where Ghoul kept his radio, flipping through the channels. “Any new word from my brother?”

“The usual. He said he’ll be up here anytime.” Ghoul yawned and shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s coming back.” He pulled on a loose-fitting tank top, sniffing his usual gear and groaning. “Shit, I gotta wash this before we head out.”

“I’ll throw my shit in, too,” Kobra said. “Might as well save as much water as we can.”

Ghoul chuckled. “I feel like I’m back at the diner,” he said wistfully. “Back to us having to ration everything to the last drop, to the point we gave up on bathing.”

“You could clear a room with your breath.” Kobra laughed, getting to his feet. “Please don’t go back to that.”

“Hey, now, no promises. I’ll do what I have to.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I think Poison would end up bitching me out if I tried it.”

“Shit, I would too,” Kobra said. “Come on, let’s wash our stuff.”

They headed for the front room. Washing was such a luxury for them that it was a bit difficult to get started. The murky watered was the color of black coffee by the time they finished their underclothes.

“Shit, we sweat a lot,” Ghoul said. One of his white shirts was nearly stained yellow. “How long you think our jackets are going to take?”

Kobra laughed. “Longer than this,” he said. They wrung out their clothes, hanging them on a horizontal pole outside to dry in the sun.

“Think we should ask Jet if he’s got anything?” Ghoul said.

“Nah, he’s a big boy, he can clean it on his own,” Kobra said. “Frankly, I don’t want to get in the way of the lovebirds anymore then I already have.”

“What’s going on there?” Ghoul said.

Kobra groaned. “I think Jet thinks I’m trying to make a move on her,” he said. “If I help, I get shit. If I don’t, it’s not enough. I can’t win on this one.”

“Well, are you making a move?” Ghoul muttered.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Kobra sputtered. “That’s Jet’s girl. I wouldn’t dream of trying shit, any more than he would have made a move on Harley.”

“Calm your tits, there, Blondie. I was just asking.” Ghoul wrung out one of his shirts. “I wouldn’t judge you if you did, you know. None of us are angels.”

“I wouldn’t hurt any of my brothers like that,” Kobra said. “And you can talk big and act aloof all you want, but I know you never would, either.”

“Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone that,” Ghoul grumbled. He shook his hands, splattering brown water everywhere.

Kobra rolled his eyes. “I just don’t want this to cause a problem for us,” he said. “We don’t need any rifts or drama, there’s enough to fight out there.” He motioned to the desert outside the window. “I know Poison’s going to hold us all together and make shit easier, but I don’t want any dumb ideas popping into anyone’s head. I’ve got enough to fix without digging my own grave.”

“All right, all right,” Ghoul said. “It was just a harmless question. I get it.” 

“Sorry,” he said. “I did go a bit overboard.” He tried to smile weakly. “I know you didn’t mean to get me going, I just worry.”

Ghoul shrugged standing to hang up his vest. “I’m going to go out for a bit,” he said. “I could use a change of view. I’ll have the car back by nightfall.” He popped his stiff muscles before snagging the keys from a table and strolling out.

Ghoul smiled to himself when the car roared to life, pumping the engine a few times just to hear the sound. He hummed along with the radio as he searched for a small town. He vaguely wondered if Kobra would accuse him of launching an attack when he returned, but he didn’t care at this point. When he finally pulled up to the bar, he strode straight up to the counter and ordered two beers. After finishing his first, he turned on his squeaky barstool to watch everyone else in the building.

The only ‘Joys in the bar who weren’t staring down at their feet were a couple of teenagers arguing over what song to play on the jukebox. Ghoul chuckled to himself, finishing his second beer and letting out a burp. After paying for the booze and leaving a bit more than he should have on the tip, Ghoul grinned as he walked out. He stumbled and leaned against his car door for a moment. Even getting his key in the ignition was a challenge, but he decided to drive home anyway.

The car swerved on the road, but he made it back to the main road without hitting anyone. He let out a whoop of victory, the Zones flying past him. His vision was so blurry that he drove mostly from memory. He turned for the hotel, laughing when he sped up so quickly that the car flung him back against the seat. “All right!” he shouted.


	33. The light at the end of the tunnel is disconncected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Ghoul's at risk behavior becoming a problem for the team, Poison is forced to step in and confront him. Jet is attacked while out, concenquences are following the team while they getting back together. Kobra struggles with the morality of the team, all while Timid is struggiling to heal.

Ghoul pulled into his parking spot, then laughed and slumped down in his seat. Poison opened the door, giving him a fierce look. “You want to tell me what you’re doing?” he said.

“Having fun,” Ghoul said. He tried to step out of the car, tangling himself up in his seatbelt before falling out on the sand. “What about you? Being a busybody?”

“Taking care of my team isn’t being a busybody.” He offered Ghoul his hand, yanking him to his feet. “You put all of us in danger with this stunt.” He frowned, looking his friend straight in the eye. “Including yourself.”

Ghoul shrugged and leaned against the car. “Calm down, Red,” he said. “I was just trying to have a bit of fun. I was sick of sitting around, waiting for you to get back, but now you’re here!” He threw his arms around Poison, burping and letting out a roaring laugh.

Poison cringed. He put his arm around Ghoul’s shoulders and led him inside. “Yeah, I’m back,” he said. “Come on, let’s get you inside and get you something to eat.” He wanted to be mad at Ghoul, but it wasn’t in him right now. He just wanted to make sure that everyone was safe.

“We should go out partying,” Ghoul slurred as he stumbled forward. “Go skirt-chasing and have a good ol’ time like we used to!” He grinned at Poison. “You have to miss those days, too!”

Poison sighed, getting him settled in the small kitchen and starting some coffee. “It sounds great, man,” he said. “Let’s just work on sobering you up for now.”

Ghoul let out a high-pitched laugh, slumping down in his seat, his hand resting on his belly. “Fuck, am I starved,” he said. He lurched forward to hunt for food. But Poison’s hand darted out in front of him, keeping him seated.

“Let me get it for you,” he said. He grabbed a few cans of Pup and started to heat them over the stove. “Do you know if there’s any jerky left?” He looked over his shoulder, raising a brow.

“Nah, Timid’s been out since you decided to come back.” He groaned, leaning his head back over the chair. “Still ain’t talking or nothing.” He laughed. “Jet’s jealous of all the time Kobra’s spending with her, trying to put her head on straight.”

Poison pursed his lips, making sure the Power Pup didn’t burn. “Is that so?” he said.

Ghoul snickered. “Oh yeah, Kobra and I had a talk before I left.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “But it’s nothing. All we can do is hope that Jet gets his head working again and sees that Kobra’s just doing his job.”

Poison nodded. He poured the slop from the pan into a bowl and set it in front of Ghoul. “Try to eat something,” he said. “It’ll make you feel better.” 

Ghoul frowned at the smell, but grabbed the bowl and slurped the food down. He gave Poison a toothy grin. “Not bad, Mister Leader,” he said. “Good to know you can still fend for us.”

Poison sighed, cleaning up the mess he had made. “Coffee’s almost done,” he mumbled. “Try to drink a few of these.”

Ghoul did as he was told, making obscene noises as he drank. “It’s good to have you back,” he slurred. “I thought this place was going to fall apart without you.”

Poison looked at him with soft eyes. “I wasn’t trying to leave you behind,” he said. “I just did what was best for me.”

Ghoul frowned, looking over his mug. “Why are you back, then?” he said. “If it was what you needed, why give it up?”

Poison sighed and brought up a chair, sitting opposite from Ghoul. “Kobra needed me more, I guess,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s that that simple,” Ghoul said after finishing his first cup, standing up to get more. “You hurt us, you hurt me. How do you expect me to just forgive you like that?”

“I don’t,” Poison said. “I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. If you’re going to be mad, fine, whatever. I can’t control that. I’m just here to do my job and keep shit together.”

Ghoul raised his eyebrows. “Really?” he said. “Then why are you being so nice to me right now?”

“Because I care about you, Ghoul. Always have, always will.” He looked Ghoul straight in the eye. “No matter where I am or what I’m doing, you shouldn’t doubt that. You’re not only my friend, you’re my brother in arms, and me needing some time to myself isn’t going to change that.” Poison patted his shoulder. “A lot has happened, so on my end, I’m just going to forget everything up until now so we can move on.”

Ghoul watched him with weak eyes. “I’m sorry for my shit,” he whispered. “I’ll try my best to do the same.”

“You don’t have to.” Poison smiled. “You can be mad at me if you feel you need to be. I’m just letting you know what’s happening on my end.” He squeezed Ghoul’s shoulder before turning around to get himself some coffee.

Shame flooded through Ghoul. He hated the self-loathing that followed. He had spent so much time being upset about Poison leaving them that he hadn’t been able to see anything else. “Thanks, Poison,” Ghoul whispered and closed his eyes. Even if the reunion was bittersweet, Poison was still there for him.

\---

Poison’s return had brought life back into the team. Everyone was back to running, even if it was just small missions. The cars were constantly out, even at early hours of the morning. One of the first things Poison insisted upon was keeping a closer line with D and Tommy. If they were being targeted from association, the least they could do was drop them a more frequent line.

Better Living hadn’t made a move since they were pushed back into the city, but soon they would make their presence known. D refused to quit his work with the Zone kids, claiming that they would die out there without anyone to help them. Tommy refused to shut down his stores. If radicals wanted to rob him, they could try. He’d brought down runners who were stronger. Poison wouldn’t allow anyone to buy supplies from any source other than Tommy or the vending machines. He wasn’t going to risk their base or their safety for a good deal on supplies.

Kobra cleared his throat as he and Poison drove back from one of the older vending machines. “Last time I got Pup from here, it was expired,” he said. “They must’ve been out to restock. Why are they providing us with goods?”

“I’m sure there are plenty of Dracs sneaking out here,” Poison said. “I’m sure keeping them supplied is still a priority, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to hunt us down, catch us off guard.” He frowned, shifting his hands on the steering wheel. “Heard anything from Ghoul?”

Kobra shook his head. “Him and Jet ran into a few of the raids and took them down, but after that, there was nothing. I know they were going to stop by the station and see what goods D picked up off of Tommy for us.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “It’s good to have you back, bro.”

Poison smiled over at Kobra. “It’s good to be back,” he said. “It feels great to be fighting again. Taking time off really helped set my head straight.” 

“What made you decide to come back?” Kobra said, setting aside the can of Pup he had been fiddling with. “I mean, there had to be a reason.”

“You needed me, what more of a reason is there?” Poison said with a half-smile.

Kobra smiled back. “I’m still sorry for dragging you back,” he said. “I really did try to keep all this going.”

“Don’t be,” Poison said. “I’d be a shitty-ass big brother if I just left you to deal with all this yourself. This has never been the easiest life. I shouldn’t have expected you to just take over.” Poison exhaled. “Anyway, you were right. It was selfish of me to just run off like that. And it was because I was scared. Any problems you had were all my fault.”

Kobra watched with sad eyes, hating that his brother blamed himself for everything. “Hey, you didn’t do this,” he said. “Those fuckers caused all these problems. We had no way of knowing all this would happen. You shouldn’t blame yourself.” He patted his brother’s leg. “Anyway, you’re fixing everything. We owe you big time.”

Poison laughed. “I’m glad you can see it that way,” he said. “I don’t think I would have been able to stay away long anyway. After all, it’s my job to whip this place into shape.” He gave his brother a crooked smile. “I couldn’t rely on you guys to fix everything alone.”

Kobra smiled. “I’m glad you seem more like your regular self,” he said. “Maybe we’ll end up beating these fuckers down sooner than we expected.”

Poison grinned as he pulled up to the hotel. “It’s going to be a good day today,” he said. “A good life.”

\---

Ghoul hadn’t gone out drinking since the day Poison had cared for him. He was still ashamed that he had driven home drunk like that. Not only could he have crashed, he could have led some of those radicals right to the hotel. Poison did him the favor of not telling anyone else, but the guilt weighed him down, even as they pulled up to hotel. 

Kobra was the first person he ran into. “We had a little problem,” Ghoul said, running a hand through his knotted hair. “But we dealt with it.”

“So I heard,” Kobra said. “How many were there?”

“Three of them. They tried to corner Jet and I and started laughing. I couldn’t make this shit up.”

“So they’re dead?” Kobra said, pursing his lips slightly.

“They made the threat and we reacted, we did what we had to.” He sighed and shook his head. “How’s things back here?”

“Picked up some supplies off the vend, was going to try to work with Timid some more. She’s starting to regain her speech.”

Ghoul smiled sadly. “That’s good,” he said. “You’ve been doing really well with her—great at everything, really.” He chuckled. “It’s nice having things go smoothly for once.”

“What can I say, Poison helps keep us all moving,” Kobra said. He laughed to himself. “You should come say hey to Timid with me. I bet she’d love the company.”

Ghoul shrugged and followed him to Timid. She was sitting in one of the back rooms, drawing on an old whiteboard with her finger. It was so dusty that a light yellow hue shone through her markings. “Hey, kid,” Ghoul called, raising his hand.

She jumped, but turned to face him, waving back in turn. “H-he-hello,” she squeaked out, looking to Kobra with a shy smile. Her voice had grown more high-pitched from disuse.

Kobra smiled. “We figured we’d come and check on you, see how you’re feeling today.”

“F-fine,” she said, giving him a smile. “I’d like to h-hunt again.”

“I’d like to get you out there again.” He chuckled, leaning against an old metal desk. “But until you’re speaking a bit better, it’ll have to go on hold.”

Her face fell, but perked up again when Ghoul spoke up. “Why don’t I take her tomorrow?” he said. “I mean, I’m shit at hunting so I won’t be much help, but I can stay with her while you run?”

Kobra hummed while he thought it over. “You’d have to keep her in your sight the entire time,” he said. “No just running off to check something. But I don’t see why it’d be a problem.”

“Yes!” Timid said.

Ghoul nodded. “We can take off in the morning,” he said. “Nothing to drive out for, but we can check those snares you and Jet were setting up, somewhere in that area?”

“G-great,” she wheezed, her voice starting to give again. She frowned. Better Living couldn’t kill her, but her own body might break down and render her useless again.

Kobra smiled. “I think it would be good for you,” he said. 

Ghoul patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, kiddo, I’ll take care of you,” he said. “You should know by now what an awesome bodyguard I am.” He laughed and shook his head. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He gave her a gentle wink and left the room.

Timid turned to Kobra. “T-thank-s,” she choked out.

Kobra smiled and nodded. “Of course,” he said. “I don’t mind you doing stuff, I just want to make sure there’s a back-up plan, just in case. Now, let’s get to work, shall we?”

\---

Ghoul yawned as he stretched his arms. He grumbled to himself as he stumbled through the hotel, seeking coffee. By the time he’d gotten to the kitchen, his other teammates were up, all waiting around the coffeemaker. “Morning,” he said. He yawned and poured himself a cup.

“Morning,” Poison said. “You going out today?” 

“Yeah, I’m taking Timid hunting. Got it cleared with Doc over here and everything.” He nodded to Kobra and downed his coffee. “We won’t go far, I promise.” He half-smiled.

“All right,” Poison said. “I’m taking Kobra out, so try not to get yourself killed today. Jet, are you good on radio duty?”

Jet yawned and nodded. “No problem,” he grumbled. He really wanted to sit around with Timid, but clearly that wouldn’t be happening today. 

“Sounds good,” Kobra said, running his hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “It’s going to be a long day guys.”

Poison nodded. “Even if it is, it’ll be over before we know it,” he said. “Come on, Kid.” They headed outside to the Trans Am. Kobra handed Poison some extra coffee. “Jesus fuck, thank you,” Poison said as he downed the rest of it. 

“You think they’re going to be okay hunting?” Kobra said, glancing at Poison over his mug.

“Ghoul will take care of things,” Poison said, starting up the car. “We won’t go past the old market. Maybe make a stop at the station if we have time, so it’s not like we’ll be gone all night.” He tried to give him an encouraging smile. “Gotta have some faith in him.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust him,” Kobra said. “I’m more worried that something could spring up that we’re not seeing.”

Poison patted Kobra’s knee. “We can’t afford to focus on that right now,” he said. “All we can do is give our all on this mission and trust that things will work out.”

Kobra nodded, doing his best to swallowed the sinking feeling that formed in the pit of his stomach.


	34. Terror from Bloodstains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ghoul and Timid go out on the hunt and Kobra's embarassing run in with his brother. The team readies themselves to go out for a fight. Leaving the girls behind so they can take care of business. But when things go awry and they're face with the blood of their team, the guys reaction may effect how the game of the desert is played from now on.

Ghoul kept a few steps behind Timid as they walked at a slow pace. He highly doubted Kobra would have been okay with anything faster. “All right, how much further is this?” he said.

“Not far,” she rasped when she reached the snares. The first snare had caught a decent-sized rabbit, the second had already lost its prey, and the third hadn’t caught anything. She made quick work of the kill and carefully reset the traps.

Ghoul grunted, taking the carcass to keep things easy on her. He had dug up an old bag to store their meat inside. He wanted to sling it over his bike and ride home, but he doubted that Kobra would clear her to ride a bike for a while. Timid moved slowly, as she didn’t want to risk scaring away any possible kills.

She pointed out a small section of brush that was trembling. Ghoul raised an eyebrow. He crept over and found her frowning over a weak and sickly-looking coyote. She immediately pulled back as the mangy animal snapped at her. “Not good to eat,” she said. 

They kept moving. Timid started to smile as she checked all the traps, finding more kills than she had expected. She helped Ghoul load up the last of the bodies into the bag. Ghoul retraced their steps on the way back. “That was pretty awesome,” he said. “I feel like I learned how to handle stuff, watching you.” He shrugged as the sun beat down on them, sweat beading on his forehead and staining his shirt collar.

Timid smiled at him. “I’m glad,” she said hoarsely as they passed the bush where the coyote had been.

“It’s pretty cool how you do all this,” he said. “How did you learn?” 

“Self-taught,” she whispered.

Ghoul winced. “Sorry if I brought something up,” he said, shifting the bag to his other shoulder “If I upset you, I didn’t mean to.”

She smiled sadly. “Don’t worry, I know.” She kicked some of the sand in front of her, feeling better when she saw the hotel in front of them. “I’ll clean and gut those as soon as we’re in.” Her smile turned genuine at the thought of it. 

Ghoul nodded and followed her into their base, bringing the carcasses to a low-rise table they had designated for her to work on. He carefully laid out each of the animals and watched her get to work. She hummed as she worked, losing herself in her craft. As she separating the pelts, she wondered if she could surprise the guys with something she could make with them. She decided to tuck the idea into her back pocket for later.

Ghoul helped her clear the table of the unusable parts and clean the carcasses the best he could. “There we go.” He smiled and weakly patted her on the back. “If you ever need someone to take you again, let me know. As long as I’m not running, I’m up for it.”

Timid watched him with soft eyes and looked down at the meat. She was proud of herself and felt better than she had in a long time. She preserved the meat and stored it in the kitchen before using some of her water ration to wash her hands.

After Ghoul disposed the inedible parts, he cracked his knuckles with a yawn. He went to make some coffee. He looked up when Kobra returned from his run, giving him a half-smile. “Not gone too long, I see?” he said.

Kobra laughed. “I told you it wouldn’t be an all-nighter,” he said. “We got our work done and Jet wanted to come home to his girl, simple as that. I think it ticked Poison off a bit, though.” He poured himself some coffee. “Good shit.” He nodded in appreciation.

“Only the best for my team,” Ghoul joked before letting out a heavy sigh. “What did you guys find?” he said, leaning his weight against the counter.

“Nothing good,” Kobra said, scratching the side of his face. “More death threats. They’re even saying they’ll take some Zone dwellers hostage unless we surrender.”

Ghoul hissed before drinking the last of his coffee. “So they’re playing that game?” he said.

“Seems like it,” Kobra said. “We have no choice. We’re going to have to take them down.” 

“Is Poison for this?” Ghoul said as he refilled his coffee.

“His idea,” Kobra said. “Seems a bit rash to me, but then again, I’m not the leader anymore.” He smiled sadly. “Not that I’m complaining, but I get why.” 

Ghoul nodded. “I mean I’m all for it,” he said. “The sooner they’re gone, the better. Just a little bit surprised.” He chuckled to himself. “Poison’s always been full of surprises.”

Kobra gave him a half-smile. He finished his coffee before heading to his brother’s room. “You there, man?” he called, knocking on the door.

There was rustling and the sound of hushed voices. Poison swung the door open, shirtless and sweaty. “You need something?” he croaked, his eyes darting over his shoulder.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to interrupt you or anything.” Kobra gulped, taking a step back. He raised his hands. “I didn’t know—”

“No, you’re fine! I mean—” Poison let out a raspy laugh. “I mean, how could you know?” He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “Listen, can we talk later?”

“Yeah! Sorry,” he repeated before sprinting away, his face as red as his jacket.

Poison slunk back in his room, giving Revenge a crooked smile. His eyes danced over her skin and the way the sheets were draped over her body. “Sorry about that,” he laughed.

She smiled and let the fabric drop from her body. “I missed you, come here,” she said. She laughed as he practically jumped on her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and fell into a place of pure happiness.

\---

Poison woke up earlier than he intended. He sighed, looking at Revenge, then pressed a single kiss to her sleeping face before slipping on his clothes. He headed down to the lobby where the other three were gathered.

“I know this seems too fast, and I know what we’re risking, but it’s now or never,” he said. “Are you guys with me?”

Kobra nodded, giving him a sad smile. “I’ll go with you wherever you need me.” He patted his brother on the back, looking to the other two.

“I ain’t got anywhere else to go.” Ghoul gave them all a toothy smile. “Anyway, it’s been a while since I kicked some fuckers’ asses.”

Jet nodded. “I’ll go wherever you guys go,” he said. “We’re in this together, no matter how it ends.” 

Poison smiled and embraced his friends, his brothers. “All right, then. We’re agreed. I made arrangements, everything is going to be taken care of.” He nodded to Jet. “Let’s go.” 

Ghoul was the first to head out. He slumped in the back of the car, making sure his gun was packed with ammo. Once everyone was inside the car, Poison looked sadly at the hotel before driving away. He couldn’t look back at it in the rearview mirror. It hurt too much. And it hurt to think of what he was risking.

“Do they have any idea what we’re going to do?” Kobra said. He looked over with glassy eyes, numbing himself to the fight ahead.

Poison shook his head. “If we can, let’s handle this one quietly,” he said. “I don’t want to lose anyone on these fuckers. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

“Anything new from the city?” Ghoul said.

“Rumor is, more Dracs have been gathering around the walls and Scarecrows are being deployed.”

“What?” Kobra said, a horrified look in his eyes. “Why wasn’t I told this?”

“It’s not the time to worry about it, Kobra,” Poison said. “We’ll deal with it once we finish this. Anyone who threatens us is going down. I don’t give a shit who they are or what rank they claim.”

Kobra nodded, but his throat tightened up. “You’re right,” he managed, turning to the rearview mirror.

Ghoul’s eyes met his in the reflection, sharing the same anxiety. “Well, no matter.” He coughed and shook his head. “We’re going take care of these fucks, then those fucks, until there are no fucks left.” He laughed harshly.

\---

After what felt like hours, they reached the coordinates that D had given them. They snuck out of the car, guns at the ready. Poison led the way, creeping along the crumbling walls. It was quiet—too quiet.

Before he could step back, the rebels sprung up around the Fabulous Four. Ghoul shot first. “Move!” he cried as blasts flew out from behind him. Poison fired at the rebels, trying to shoot them down before they could take a shot at him. Ghoul swore when he took a blow to the arm. He forced his body to keep moving.

Jet let out a roar, shooting at the rebels as he backed up against Ghoul. “Come on, you sick fucks!” he said. “You wanna dance?” His body shook, his heart pounded. His eyes were dilated. It took him a minute to register that they were all down.

“What the fuck happened?” Ghoul said, looking around “I thought we got the intel off D!”

“We did!” Poison said. “It came off his channel! Right before I told him...” Horror suddenly flashed across his face. He dashed to the Trans Am, leaving his friends behind.

Kobra and Ghoul exchanged a look before following him. “What happened?” Kobra said, forcing his way into the car as Poison tried to get it started.

“The hotel! The girls! I told D where to find them if something happened!”

“Fuck!” Jet swore as they drove off.

Poison sped through the desert to get them home. When they finally reached the hotel, he threw himself out of the car, not even bothering with his gun.

“Poison!” Kobra called, nearly begging. “Wait for us!”

Poison darted inside and threw open the door to his room. He gasped and panted as he tore through the room. “Revenge?” he screamed. His eyes rested on the bathroom door. He threw it open and let out a feral cry.

Kobra finally caught up to him. When he looked inside the bathroom, he lost all the color in his face. The bathroom was empty except for a puddle of fresh blood. He held onto his brother as he cried and shook, melting down in Kobra’s arms.


	35. Heart broken lovers lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls have been taken and Jet and Poison are taking it the hardest. A trade is proposed, their lives for the girls, will Kobra and Ghoul risk their safety for the lives of Timid and Revenge. And most importantly are they even really still alive?

Both Jet and Poison had become shells of their usual selves. Ghoul and Kobra were doing everything they could to relocate as fast as possible. Kobra wanted to help Poison and Jet through all of this, but the longer they sat and waited, the more they risked their lives. So instead he kept his hands busy by loading the cars up with their supplies. But matter what he did, he felt like he was fighting a losing battle.

He didn’t have the time and resources to hunt down the kidnappers, let alone keep his brother on suicide watch. The idea of dropping Jet and Poison off with D crossed his mind, but then D would be stuck babysitting while trying to watch his own back. Could they even reach D anymore? Was it safe to try? Kobra sighed as he tied some of the furniture to the roof of the car.

Kobra knelt beside Poison. “Hey, we’re going to find them,” he said weakly. “They’re probably going to offer them up as hostages, and we’ll have a chance to get them back.” It was better than a death sentence.

Poison looked up at him, tears forming in his eyes. “I know,” he said. “It’s just—I should have been able to keep her safe. I know they’re not going to hurt her yet, but it should have never come to this. It’s my fault. I swore to protect her and I put her in danger.”

Kobra gently rubbed his back. “You had no way of knowing this would happen. They had us fooled, all of us.” He sighed. “Listen. Ghoul’s on the radio. The second they make their demands, we’ll know. But we’ve gotta get out of here before they come back looking for us.” He offered Poison his hand.

Poison stared at his hand for a moment before grabbing it and pulling himself up. “Thanks,” he whispered. He walked like a newborn calf, shaky and unsure. “I’ll get in the car,” he mumbled. 

Kobra watched him, only walking away when he saw his brother get in safely. His next target was Jet, who was standing in front of a wall with the same vacant and desperate look on his face. 

“Come on, man, let’s get you in the car,” he sighed, putting his hand on Jet’s back to guide him out.” 

“All right,” Jet mumbled. His feet were steadier than Poison’s and Kobra was able to move him more quickly, with less convincing. 

“You two just sit tight and let Ghoul and I figure this out.” Kobra shut the door behind them, then jogged up to Ghoul. “Did you find anything yet?” he said.

The frown on Ghoul’s face said enough. “We’ll just have to find an abandoned building,” he said. “We’ll crash there and wait until they demand we give ourselves up, then get the girls and take them out once and for all.”

Kobra nodded with a grimace. “Right. Well, let’s get out of here, then. It won’t be safe much longer.”

\---

Ghoul drove haphazardly, frequently backtracking, anything that could throw potential trackers off their trail. Jet had fallen asleep, which eased some of his worries. But Poison just stared blankly ahead. The radio had been nothing but static all day; even D wasn’t broadcasting. He worried for a moment that they had gotten to the station as well, but he shrugged it off. This was Dr. fucking Death Defying, there was no way he was going to lose to these fuckers.

“You think we should stop soon?” Kobra said.

Ghoul shrugged. “I’d really like to be even further away before we settle down, but we should probably let them rest. They’ll need it.”

Kobra nodded in agreement. “We’re going to need them when the time comes, and it’s best if they aren’t delusional from lack of sleep.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Poison mumbled. “I’m not so checked out that out I’ve gone deaf.”

“Sorry,” Kobra said. “I just want to fix this, man. And if I’ve gotta take care of you, so be it.”

“The issue isn’t with me, it’s with them,” Poison snarled, looking awake for the first time during this drive. “I’m going to eradicate these fuckers from the face of the earth for what they’ve done.”

Kobra looked at him in surprise. “All right, then,” he said, looking over to Ghoul with a slight chuckle.

Ghoul grinned. “Sounds good to me,” he said.

Poison smiled and leaned back. “I got this, you guys,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

\---

They found a warehouse to call home for the night. It was spacious, with plenty of hiding places. Even the quietest sound echoed through the building. Poison sat with his knees curled up to his chest, his eyes on the old radio. When a voice broke through the static, he nearly fell over himself to reach it.

“Fabulous Four, we have your prizes,” the voice said. “Meet us at the old gas station in Three if you want to see them again. Come unarmed, and be ready to surrender.”

Poison swore under his breath as Ghoul and Kobra ran up to the radio. “They want all of us, then,” he muttered. “Well, I’m going. I’ll keep my gun under my jacket, but I’ll do whatever it takes.” His eyes met Kobra’s first, challenging him not to do the same.

Kobra nodded. “I’m in,” he said. Ghoul and Jet both nodded. “Try to get some rest, then. I’ll drive us down tomorrow.”

His expression was grim as they separated. He found himself not wanting to be alone and instead pulled himself close to his brother, lying against him like when they were kids. Poison had no words of comfort for his brother, no reassuring ideas or happy thoughts. They were probably going to die in this fight and he knew it, and he knew it was his fault. He slung his arm around Kobra and sighed, weakly closing his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said.

\---

The words echoed in Kobra’s ears as they got ready to leave. Poison never apologized like that unless it was something major. As they unloaded their supplies into the warehouse, he felt like they were saying goodbye. When the car was ready, they took off. Kobra kept his eyes on the road. He didn’t want to see their tired faces as they prepared to die. Kobra did his best to stuff those feelings into the pit of his stomach. He would die with his mask on and never look back on what could have been. He had to.

The drive was almost mockingly quiet as they headed to the inner Zones. The gas station was fairly well-known in Three. Countless firefights had happened there, as Drac and Killjoys both fueled up at the station. Maybe this was a fitting place for their revolution to die out. He bit his lip when he accidently made eye contact with Ghoul, nodding to his friend, his brother. He was drowning in adrenaline. He hated the way his body reacted when he was anxious. It brought back old high school memories: the terror and uncertainty, the feeling of wanting to die and not having anyone to help him. 

He shook his head as they pulled up behind a cluster of broken-down buildings near the station. They hid their weapons the best they could. This would be their final showdown.

The girls were on their knees, their arms bound with old power cords. Brown sacks covered their faces, but there was no denying their shapes and the colors of their clothes. Poison was the first to approach. “Let them go,” he snarled, raising his hands to appear unarmed.

The leader of the Freedom Fighters was a small mousey man, with light blonde hair and dark skin. He untied the girls’ wrists and shoved them over. “Get up and take their place,” he hissed.

Jet and Poison ran forward, embracing the girls. “Revenge,” Poison gasped and took her shoulders, helping free her of the sack masking her face. He held her in his arms for a moment and made sure she was unharmed. “You need to get out of here,” he whispered. “The car is behind those buildings. Run over there and don’t look back, do you understand?”

Revenge nodded and took off running, followed by Timid after getting a similar speech from Jet. Kobra and Ghoul followed the guys, knowing they were going to be executed. “Come on, then,” Kobra hissed as they were surrounded, forcibly brought to the makeshift stage and pushed to their knees. 

They didn’t resist the rough treatment, staring at the group as their executors came up behind them. In one swift movement, Poison turned and shot the leader between the eyes. That shot invited utter chaos. The boys shot wildly, outgunned beyond belief. When the Freedom Fighters were about to shoot them in the head, Pony suddenly arrived. He drove the van into the crowd, running over anyone in his way. “Get in!” he called through one of the broken windows. 

As they jumped into the van, they shot wildly, even shooting the same bodies until they all lay in a smoldering pile on the ground. The guys were shaking as they slammed the door. “We need to get to the girls, they went to the car,” Ghoul croaked, blood spattered across his face. “What the fuck happened?”

“They got to us,” Pony panted as he drove off. “Overthrew the station. We barely got to Tommy in time. D’s in bad shape. We didn’t have time to alert anyone because it’s been so touch and go.” He scanned the area for the Trans Am? “What happened to you? I mean, besides the obvious.”

“They had been badgering us nonstop,” Kobra said, wiping some of the blood from his cheek. “It’s just been hellish. They used your radio line to get the girls, then said we had to trade ourselves for them.” He was shaking harder than he had expected. He had known this would end badly, but that slaughter was nightmarish.

“They’d been advertising your execution for ‘crimes against the Zones,’” Pony said. “I headed over as fast as I could, but we gotta get back to the shop. Help me look for the girls.”

Poison moved forward. “Go over there.” He motioned toward the place that they had left the Trans Am. The car was still there, with the girls inside. He darted out of the van before it came to a stop and embraced Revenge. “We need to get out of here,” he said, hopping in the backseat. “Timid, take the wheel. Follow Pony.”

Timid was wrapped up in Jet’s arms, but nodded, helping him into the backseat. She couldn’t help but cringe at the blood. But she started the car, following Pony closely. Eventually he pulled up behind Tommy’s store, trying to hide the van behind the building. Ghoul’s knees wouldn’t stop shaking. He leaned on Kobra for support. When everyone was inside, Pony pulled old tarps over their cars and followed everyone inside.

The inside of Tommy’s store was cluttered with every kind of junk imaginable. If you saw it discarded in the sand, chances are it would end up passing through here. Kobra helped Ghoul into a chair and looked up to Pony. “Where is he?” he whispered.

Pony’s face fell. He motioned to a doorway strung with a beaded curtain. “In there,” he whispered, unable to look inside. He found moist towels to wipe away some of the blood. “Here” he said, his voice breaking.

Kobra nodded in gratitude and wiped his face clean, then cleaned up Ghoul. “Come on, then,” he whispered as he helped Ghoul up. His body felt heavier than normal as the two headed into the doorway.

There he was: radio king of the Zones and the true leader of the Killjoy movement. He was wearing a paper-thin hospital gown, his body covered in burns and dried blood. He was hooked up to an oxygen tank. His eyes darted over to the visitors. “You’re okay?” he grunted, then started coughing harshly.

“Thanks to you.” Kobra tried to smile, slipping off his blood-soaked jacket. “Pony coming in the nick of time was what saved us. I supposed you’re the one who sent him?” He knelt down beside the older man, his legs suddenly stiff.

“That I did,” he grunted, trying to sit up. Ghoul and Kobra rushed over to help him. “No, I got it.” He shooed their hands away, carefully sitting up. “Don’t fuss over me.” He gave them a crooked smile. “I heard you got in quite the fight.”

Ghoul nodded sadly, then told him the story. “I know they planned on killing us, but I didn’t think they’d turn it into a spectacle,” he said. He shook his head, disgusted by their ploy.

“Well, they shouldn’t be in your way anymore.” D sighed and scratched at his dirty hair. “If Pony did what I asked, and the boy usually does, you should have taken them all out.”

Kobra nodded. “We shot down as many as we could,” he said. “Pony even drove over them. You mean that was the entire movement?” He pulled up some old folding chairs for him and Ghoul, worried that their legs would give out.

“Yeah, they gathered all of their team to watch you guys die.” He chuckled hoarsely. “A piss-poor plan at best. They should have known better then to risk the extermination of their entire forces.”

“To be fair, we’re not much better,” Ghoul said. “They convinced us to go out and leave the girls alone. That’s how they got them.” He frowned. “We dropped our shit at a warehouse in Four. I guess we’ll have to go back there, then?”

“Yeah, they got to all my records and all the safe houses we have listed. We’re going to have to relocate to unidentified areas.” D chuckled and shook his head. “Shame on me for keeping them all together. I thought we’d be safe at the station.”

Kobra swallowed. “We’ll figure this out,” he said. “You’re going to be okay.” He tried to smile, not really believing his own words.

“Now, don’t give me that look.” D groaned, managing to grasp his cane. He tried to swing it at Kobra like he normally would, but could barely lift it. “I ain’t dying or going nowhere. This whole shitshow would fall apart without me.” He coughed hoarsely, stopping to deeply inhale his oxygen. “Tommy had this whole set-up saved just in case. We had this planned for ages.”

Kobra frowned, but he knew better than to pick a fight with D. “We got news from the waves on Better Living.”

D stopped his slow inhale and gave Kobra a harsh look. “And you’re wasting my time on my health? Spit it out, Kid.”

“They’re releasing Exterminators,” he said. “They’re going to hunt us down to the edge of the Zones until we’re dead.” His expression was tired. “I think Ghoul figured out why they haven’t attacked yet.”

“Did you?” he said. “Well, about time you got something right.” He let out another harsh cough before laying down on the bed. “What did you find out, then?”

“I think they were counting on the Freedom Fighters to kill us, then take them down and claim to be the savior of the Zones,” Ghoul said. “It’s just an idea, but I noticed how close they were to the city and the Dracs hadn’t ghosted them yet. It would make sense.”

“Well, you finally got your oversized melon working,” he said. “Bravo. I don’t give a shit why it’s happening. They’re both threats and needed to be dealt with.” He grabbed at a water glass near his bed, swatting at Kobra when he tried to help. “So now we gotta handle the wrath of Better Living.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Out of the fire and into the frying pan”

“You seem oddly calm about this,” Kobra said.

“And what good would it do for me to panic?” he said. “I can’t do shit. Tommy can keep me hidden for quite a while. If I panic over shit I can’t control, everything’s going to fall apart on you. Then you guys gotta handle it. And you got more to worry about then I do right now.” He shifted in his bed. “You need to find a safe base, first of all. Let me handle the Better Living trash.”

Kobra nodded, more thankful for D than he realized in that moment. “Thanks, old man.” He gave him a sad smile.

“I ain’t old. Now go tell Tommy you’ll be staying overnight. Give you a chance to rest up before you get your shit back and move on.” He gave Kobra and Ghoul a smile. “I’m proud of you,” he said before closing his eyes.


	36. If you should fall…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming to Tommy’s seeking safety, the guys are uneasy after D’s injury. And no one it taking it harder then good old Show Pony. Faced with the chance of losing his lover, Pony shuts down, not knowing how to keep moving. Jet and Poison debate how to keep the girls safe after nearly losing them.

Kobra nodded, getting to his feet before helping Ghoul up and looking for Tommy Chow Mein. Tommy was a tall lanky man with the looks and attitude of a 1960’s salesman. His oily hair was slicked back. He wore a cheap-looking suit. He was leaning against the counter when he felt someone behind him and casually turned around. “Well, if it ain’t two of my favorite customers,” he said. “What can I do for you?” He flashed him an intimidatingly white smile as he drummed his fingers against the counter.

“Just got out of a fight,” Kobra said. “Wanted to see D. He told us to tell you that we’re staying the night.” Kobra scratched his head, frowning at the flakes of dried blood that fell as he moved.

Tommy let out an odd laugh and nodded. “All right, I can do that,” he said. “I heard about that fight. All over the waves, you know? Glad you kids made it out alive. Don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t rake in your carbons.” He winked at them teasingly.

“Do you happen to have a shower or some place we can clean up?” Kobra said.

“I got a shower in my private quarters.” He tossed Kobra a key with little effort. “It ain’t big, so take your time, and try to get some rest and relaxation while you do it. I’ve got some old blankets and bedding in my closet. Help yourself.”

Ghoul swallowed, then dug some crumbled carbons from his pocket and slid them over. “Thanks, man,” he said.

Tommy pocketed the carbons with a grin. “Again, anything for my favorite customers.” He gave a slight bow and leaned back against the counter again. “Now get back there and don’t wander up here. I got a feeling that some of my buyers may not want to see you right now.” He winked playfully.

Kobra and Ghoul headed off. They searched the back until they found an old master bedroom. “Was this a house he remodeled?” Kobra said.

“Probably,” Ghoul said as he started to undress. “You know Tommy, he finds a way to work everything out. Now I’m going to shower first, if you don’t mind.” He raised an eyebrow, challenging Kobra to protest.

“Fine, but I’m using the sink until you’re out. And if you complain, God help you.”

Kobra took the bedding from the closet and piled it in a corner of the room. He cringed at the moans that Ghoul was making the shower. Maybe it would be better to get settled before he showered. He hefted the supplies onto his shoulder and walked through the back hallway to where everyone was sitting. Pony was trying to help clean up while the couples talked.

“Help me set up our shit,” Kobra said. “We’re crashing for the night.”

Poison rose to his feet. “You don’t mind us all sharing a room?” he said to Pony.

“Yeah, as long as you don’t try to steal my cot.” He tried to give a friendly smile, but it fell short.

Poison watched him sadly for a moment, then helped make the beds with the girls. “Did you see him?” he said to Kobra, trying to keep his voice as close to a whisper as possible.

“Yeah, he looks awful,” Kobra said quietly. “They got ambushed. All the files were compromised. I don’t know what’s out there, but D wants us to find a new base and continue operations.”

Poison nodded. “We’ll go back to the warehouse and regroup tomorrow, then,” he said, pretending to be focused on the bedding. “Where’s Ghoul?”

“Taking a shower. Tommy’s letting us use his for the time being. I’m going to head in there after him, but you two should try to shower up, too. You’re covered in blood.”

“A shower sounds great,” Poison said. He shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect it to sound so nice, but fuck, today was awful.”

Kobra and patted his shoulder. “Hey, man, it’s going to be all right,” he said. “D said that’s the last of them. We took care of the Freedom Fighters, so all we can do is lay low and see if someone else is going to rise up for their cause.”

Poison groaned. “Well, wouldn’t that be great.”

“Are you all right, man?” he said. “I wouldn’t expect you to be even an inch apart from Revenge right now. Did something happen?” He looked Poison square in the eyes.

“It’s not like that,” Poison said. “I’m all right. I’m just kind of beating myself up for letting it happen. They didn’t hurt them, but just the fact she was taken from our home, where I said she was safe...”

“You’re still on about that?” Kobra said. “I’m sure she doesn’t see it that way. You gotta forgive yourself on this one, or you’re never going to move on from it. I don’t think I can handle it if we have to keep reliving this nightmare.”

Poison shook his head. “I don’t think it’s as simple as forgiving myself. I wanted to protect her more than anything I’ve wanted in so long.” He finally met his brother’s gaze. “I feel like I failed at the one thing I had left.” His voice trembled slightly, but he shook his head “I think that after I sleep, I’ll feel better. It’s been a long day.”

Kobra patted his shoulder. He jumped up when Ghoul came in and threw himself on the pile of blankets with an overdramatic moan. “I guess that’s my cue, then,” Kobra said. “It’ll be okay,” he assured his brother for what felt like the millionth time before getting up and leaving the room.

Despite the bloodstains that Ghoul had left on the tile, the bathroom was as cozy as it could get in the desert. Kobra understood the noises Ghoul had been making and shared a few of his own, closing his eyes as he turned around, letting the water cascade down his body. He was nearly in tears by the time his shower ended. Looking around, Kobra decided to use his dirty shirt as a towel. He used the sink to clean the dried blood from his clothes. When he finally felt presentable, he headed back to the bedroom, leaving wet footprints on the floor.

\---

The rest of the night was quiet. Pony’s eyes kept falling on that beaded curtain that separated him from his lover. It felt like glass, and he didn’t dare try to pass it. He rolled into the front room, where Tommy was cleaning an old pocket watch he’d bought off a rouge Drac, grinning at the way it shone in the light.

“Need any help up here?” Pony said. His face was tired. He felt like he was about to fall over, but he was afraid that if he did, he’d fall into a nightmare that he’d never wake up from.

“While I appreciate the free labor you don’t look like you’re in any state to be working,” Tommy said. “What’s going on?” He arched a brow as he tucked the watch in a glass case.

“I just don’t want to sleep,” Pony said. “Not ready to.”

Tommy scoffed. “I highly doubt that you’re not ready. I bet every cell in your body is screaming for bed and you’re avoiding it.” He met Pony’s eyes. “Try again. This time be honest.”

Pony shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know,” he lied. “I guess today was just too much excitement and my brain just won’t shut up.”

Tommy bit his tongue and decided to try a different approach. “You been into see the old man?” he said. That made Pony stop dead in his tracks. “I bet he’d be thrilled to see you if you haven’t stopped by yet.”

Pony’s lip quivered. “No. I mean, what’s the point?” He chuckled weakly and ran a hand through his hair, trying to ignore his trembling hands. “He’s going to be fine. We can just spend more time together then.”

“Doesn’t sound like the Pony I know,” Tommy muttered.

“What?” Pony’s head snapped up, his eyes rimmed with red. “What did you say?”

“You don’t sound like the Pony I know,” Tommy said clearly. “Normally you’re all over him, fussing about his day-to-day life, worried about his health. Now that something pretty damn serious has happened, you’re running away.” He frowned. “I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it for you, kiddo. You’re acting weird.”

Pony swallowed thickly. “I guess I’m afraid of what I’m going to find,” he admitted, sitting down in an old metal chair.

“Why?” He leaned over the counter. “It’s D. No matter what is going to happen, he’s going to be twelve steps ahead of everyone else. He’ll figure something out.” He tried to be sincere, but he worried that his words sounded anything but.

Pony weakly shook his head. “When we were attacked and he got shot, I panicked,” he said. “I’ve handled death over and over, but when faced with his, I froze up. It wasn’t until he ordered me to move that I could. I’m sure he’s disappointed in me, and if that’s the last thing he remembers of me—” Pony’s voice broke. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. “If he dies because I hesitated, how could I live with myself?”

Tommy rubbed Pony’s back and shook his head with sympathy. “Don’t worry about it, kiddo. He’ll pull through, always has.” He tried to give him an encouraging smile and shook his head again. “I know you got a lot going on, but why don’t you go be with him just because you love him?”

Pony blinked and swallowed. “I didn’t think of it that way,” he said. “Everything has been so black-and-white, life and death. Maybe I was just being foolish.” He walked over to the beaded curtain, took a deep breath, and headed inside. 

\---

Poison stroked his lover’s form, a frown on his lips. All he could think of was the blood he had found in the bathroom. He carefully looked her over, finding a scabbed over wound under her hairline. He sighed and closed his eyes. She had lied to him, and that stung in itself. But his hand ran up and down her back nonetheless.

“Can’t sleep?” came a low whisper.

Poison jumped and looked across the room. “No, you?” he murmured.

“Tried, didn’t work out so well,” Jet said, slipping away from Timid. “You want to make some coffee or something?”

“Sure,” Poison said. They headed to the kitchen and started the coffee. “So what’s going on?”

“I thought I was going to lose her,” Jet admitted. “I feel so powerless right now.” 

Poison grimaced. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he said. “What can you do about it, though?”

“Well, I was wondering if I could find her a safe house,” Jet said, unable to look at Poison. “Maybe she’d be better off on her own than with us.”

“Do you think that’d protect her?” Poison whispered, his chest growing tight. “Think that would stop Scarecrows from hunting her down, taking her hostage or killing her? They’re probably already associated with us back at the city, and you know that they wouldn’t show mercy.”

“Who are we talking about here, Poison?” Jet said. “Timid or Revenge?”

“Both, I suppose. We dragged them down into the shit of our lives, and now they’re suffering for it.”

Jet closed his eyes. “I know it’s selfish, but I don’t think I could survive without her.” He chuckled weakly. “She’d probably fight me every step of the way, even if I did try to keep her away from me. She’s too tough for her own good.”

“I couldn’t just drop Revenge off like you could with Timid,” Poison said. “She’s weak, can’t make it on her own. I just feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place here. No matter what, she’s getting hurt. And no matter what, it’s my fault. If you’re selfish, I’m irredeemable.”

Jet looked at Poison sadly. “I don’t think you are,” he said. “I think you’re trying to do what’s best for everyone, even if it wrecks you. You’ve gotta stop blaming yourself, man.” 

“I know, I know.” Poison sighed and poured the coffee. It tasted like ash. “It just comes with the territory of being a leader.” He tried to smile, but it fell short.

“I don’t know what’s right,” Jet said. “For Timid, let alone Revenge, or even us. But I know you’re working your ass off, and I guess that’s all we could really ask for. Hard work, dedication—isn’t that what we’ve always been about?”

Poison nodded glumly and finished his coffee. “It’s not that it’s changed, I just don’t know if she sees it that way. If she blames me for putting her in danger.”

“Did you ask her?” he said.

“No. I don’t think I could. If she does resent me, I don’t think I can handle it.”

“We wouldn’t want that,” Jet said. “I still think you should ask her. You might be surprised.”

“Maybe one day.” Poison shrugged. “I say you should keep Timid around. Don’t wonder if she’s safe, make sure of it.” He stretched his neck. “I’m going to go ahead and head back to bed. Going to check on D in the morning.”

Jet watched him return to the bedroom, then decided to check in on D. Jet swallowed. He almost looked like the corpses of people that had died of radiation poisoning. Then he saw the polka dot tights of a familiar form, asleep across D. Jet couldn’t help but smile and ducked his head out.

He headed outside and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds and smog covered the sky, obscuring most of the stars. The crescent moon barely peeked through the murky fog. Jet patted his jacket until he found a crumpled pack of cigarettes. He exhaled the smoke and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. He tried focus on all the good he had seen recently. And whenever his mind started wandering down a dark path, he did his best to bring her face into view. Poison was right. He was much better off having her in his life.

\---

By the time the back of Tommy’s shop was stirring, the sun was directly above them in the sky. Revenge groaned, holding her hand up against the light filtering in from the window. Her free hand groped for Poison. She frowned when she realized that he was missing. She looked up when Poison came in, a plate of food in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other

“Here,” he whispered and set them down. “You look like you’re starving.” He gave her a kind smile, kneeling down to sit beside her.

Once she’d taken one bite, it hit her how hungry she was. She was almost eating with her hands by the time she was done. “Thanks,” she mumbled. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “Just worried about you, mostly.”

“I feel like I should be the one worried about you,” she said. “You’ve been having one hell of a month, Party Poison.” 

He laughed. “I think hell would be a nice vacation actually,” he said. Then his expression turned serious. “Why didn’t you tell me they’d hurt you when I asked before?”

Instinctively, her hand went to the mass of scabs hidden under her hair. “I didn’t think to—”

“You didn’t have to, I asked you directly.” He looked at her sadly. “Why did you lie to me, Revenge?”

She swallowed. “I thought if you knew, you’d be even more emotional,” she said. “I know you guys had something planned, and if you were fretting over me…well, I didn’t want you getting killed because I couldn’t suck it up.”

Poison sighed. He grabbed the first aid kit before sitting behind her. “You still should have told me once we were safe.” He parted her hair, carefully cleaning the wound. “This could have gotten infected. Then I would have lost you and not known why.”

“I didn’t think of that,” she admitted, sighing with relief when he let go of her hair. She leaned back against him. “I’m sorry, Poison.”

He wrapped his arm around her. “I just want to know that you could trust me, no matter what the situation is,” he said. “Even if you thought you’d hurt my feelings or whatever. I need to know that you could tell me.”

Her lips twisted. “Is something else wrong?” she said. “Did I do something, or…do you think I’m keeping secrets or some shit?”

He closed his eyes for a moment before meeting her gaze. “Revenge, I gotta know. Are you mad at me for putting your life in such danger?”

She blinked, opening her mouth, then snapping it shut. “What?” She shook her head in disbelief. 

“If you weren’t with me, they wouldn’t have gone after you. Hell, if I’d known that D was M.I.A., I wouldn’t have given an updated location and they never would have found you.” He sighed and looked away. “If you’re upset with me, it’s fine, but I need to know.”

Revenge’s brows met. “You didn’t do anything like that, Poison. It was them. They were the ones being dicks and they were the ones who hurt me.”

“They could have killed you, Revenge,” he said. “If you would have died because I made a stupid mistake, I don’t know what I’d do.” 

She shifted onto the side of her legs, carefully tilting his chin to look at her. “Poison, if I die from someone else, it’s not your fault. You’d never willingly put me in danger, and I trust you. More than I’ve ever trusted anyone before. I love you.” 

He pulled her into his lap. He felt tears forming in his eyes and prayed his voice wouldn’t betray that. “I love you, too,” he whispered.

She smiled. “I know shit’s crazy, but I know you’d do whatever it took to keep me safe.”

He carefully pulled back. “I’m just worried,” he said. “If there are really Scarecrows coming after us, it’s going to get a lot more hellish. I was wondering—well, I was thinking—maybe it’d be best if we separated for a bit, just to throw them off your trail. I know you probably wouldn’t want to—”

“No, I don’t.” Her face went blank.

“Then you won’t go anywhere,” he said. “I wanted to give you the option and figured it’d be best this way. But if you’d want to stay by my side, then I’m happy to have you by me.”

Revenge blinked, not expecting him to listen to her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Don’t ever send me away,” she whispered.

“I wouldn’t dare.” He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lost in her, even if it was only for a moment.


	37. Dancing to a fading heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With D in recovery Pony is forced to cope with the idea of D’s mortality and make important choices about their relationship. The guys discover that Better Living is starting to retailiate against them by sending out Scarecrows. Tommy helps the guys plan for the future and Timid feeled indebted to Kobra.

Pony pushed the greasy hair from D’s face and smiled sadly. He had been sleeping when he slipped in and hadn’t woken up since. He left to get a rag and a bucket of water, carefully washing the dirt and grease from his body. He was wetting the rag again when he felt an unsteady hand on his arm.

“Pony?” D rasped.

“D?” he said, tears forming in his eyes. “You’re awake.” He brushed a stray strand of hair from his eyes. “And look at me, I’m a mess.” He laughed sadly and shook his head, hiding his eyes.

D smiled at him. “Why you going and crying over me?” he said. “I’m doing just fine. Got Kobra looking after me and everything.”

“Because if I don’t do, it no one will,” Pony said. He started washing his arm. “You’ve gotten so filthy. I should have been keeping a better eye on you back at the station.”

“Pony—”

“No, I’m serious. How long has some of this been on here? You should have seen how much dirt was caked under your neck.”

“Pony—”

“Now that I’m back in charge, I’m going to have you so clean even the city can’t hold a tee to you. You’re going to be the sparkle of the Zones, and I know sparkle—”

“Pony!” D said, sitting up. “Will you quit your fussing and listen to me?”

“What?” Pony said. “Is something the matter?”

“Of course something is,” he said. In one quick movement, he tugged Pony’s body against his. “I didn’t get no hug from you today,” he sighed, his face buried in Pony’s exposed midriff.

Pony blinked, then wrapped his arms tightly around D. “You were sleeping when I came in,” he said. “But I was holding onto to you all night, I promise.” He tried to pull back, but was surprised when he was met with resistance.

“I was worried about you when you didn’t show up,” D said. “I thought they might’ve gotten to you too, and I’d lost you before I could say goodbye.”

Pony’s throat tightened. He petted D’s hair as reassuringly as he could. “I’ve just been trying to take care of things, I promise,” he said. “I won’t go anywhere without you.” He smiled when D finally pulled back and leaned down to steal a quick kiss.

“You promise?” D said. His eyes were uncharacteristically tired, the wear and age showing in his face.

“‘Course I do.” Pony leaned his forehead against D’s. “After all, where else would I go?”

\---

Kobra leaned back in his chair, twiddling his pencil. He had been scouting for a new base. Their best bet was heading back out to the outer Zones, but his brother wouldn’t be thrilled that they would have such little communication with D. He nearly jumped when Poison stepped inside.

“What’s up, dude?” Poison said, glancing over the maps. “Find anything?”

“Nothing good,” Kobra said. “I know we should probably head for the edge again, but I’m starting to worry about the resources out there. Even with Timid hunting, it’s going to get harder and harder to get food, and Better Living knows it. That, and with D out, we’re kind of fucked.”

Poison nodded, stroking his chin. “I’d say our best bet is to head for the diner, check out our old hiding places, and go from there,” he said.

“You don’t think it’d be too risky with Scarecrows running about?”

Poison exhaled. “I just don’t really see what other choices we have. We’ve gotta work with the hand we were dealt, and my gut’s telling me we’ll have a better shot out there.”

Kobra toyed with his pencil. “If that’s what you think is best, then I’m for it,” he said. He half-smiled. “We should start prepping to leave, don’t you think?”

Poison nodded. “A tarp and a hiding place won’t get us anywhere,” he said. “Pack up. I’ll buy what I can off Tommy and we’ll head out tomorrow.” He left the room to search for Ghoul and relay the message as quickly as he could.

\---

Ghoul was the first to wake up in the morning. His tired hands worked the coffee machine. Pony had been wheeling around the building all night, trying to get things ready for the guys. He had bags under his eyes when he headed into the kitchen in search of coffee. A yawn and a weak “Morning” was all he could manage.

Ghoul blinked, slowly drinking his coffee. “Morning,” he said. “You been working again?”

Pony nodded. “With D out, I’m managing the station and doing what I can,” he said. “Thank God we were able to recover some of our broadcasting equipment. Now I just gotta keep this going until D’s better.”

“You think he’s going to recover?” Ghoul said.

“‘Course he is. He’s Dr. Death Defying, after all.” Pony smiled faintly and leaned against the counter. “You nervous to be heading back out there?”

“Hah! Me, nervous.” He looked at Pony playfully. “I’m actually really excited to get my life going out there. I hate being trapped inside and hiding out.”

Pony gave him a half-smile. “‘Course, you’d be the one to complain about resting to plan something.” He laughed weakly. “Fun Ghoul, you’re something else entirely.”

Ghoul laughed. “‘Course I am,” he said. “It’s why I’m the best fighter in the Zones.”

“Might not want the brothers to hear you spouting all that nonsense.” Pony chuckled, going to refill his drink. “I know you guys will be fine as long as you look out for each other. I’ll be trying to get work to you as fast as I can.”

“Thanks, man,” Ghoul said. “I appreciate it. Well, we all do. I don’t know what the guys have planned with all this, but I’d still trust those crazy fucks with my life. Kind of have to.”

Pony nodded and hugged him. “Take care of yourself, all right?” he said. “I don’t have time for a big goodbye or nothing, so make sure I get to see you again.” He winked as he pulled back.

Ghoul laughed and shook his head as he refilled the canisters. “You really do keep things moving, Pony, even if you don’t realize it. I’ll be back, don’t worry. Gotta harass D until he finally decides to kick the bucket.”

He winked before carrying the thermoses to the Trans Am. Pony watched him go with a faint smile. No matter what happened, those four would be all right. He just knew it.

\---

Before the sun had fully risen, everyone was clamoring to their supplies in the car. Kobra and Jet loaded the cargo, trying to get the girls to help out, while Poison was in a meeting with D and Tommy.

“I’ll send you guys what I can once you’re settled,” Tommy said, lighting a cigarette. “I’ll make sure Pony is the one to go out, keep everything hush-hush.”

“Thank you,” Poison said. “I’ll do whatever work I can for you and pay you as often as I can. I don’t know when it’ll be safe for us to come back, or when we’ll even find a new base. But I’ll keep in touch the best I can. I’ll try to send Kobra or Ghoul with information once it’s settled. I don’t trust the waves. Probably won’t be on them for a hell of a long time.”

D nodded weakly, letting out a harsh cough. “It’s for the best. I’m letting Pony run things on that end, but if you absolutely have to, we’ll be watching for any news. It may not be instant, but I’ll try to help out any way I can, and I know Pony feels the same”

Tommy leaned back against a set of drawers. “I’ll take care of you until you’re up for moving on,” he said. “Then I think it’d best we send D to come stay with you. That way you’ve got each other’s backs.”

“You sure it’s okay for us all to be together?” Poison’s said. “Wouldn’t that make us a bigger target?”

“I won’t be staying with you forever,” D said. “I don’t need to be taken care of. We’ll meet up and I’ll be relocating to a new station. Pony and I will get back to our old lives, and we’ll always be in touch.”

“D, you really need someone who can keep an eye on you,” Tommy said.

“Bullshit. They got enough to handle without something like that. I ain’t going to live forever, and I’m not dragging them down with me. Like I said, keeping all your forces together is just a stupid mistake. It gets you killed. Now don’t make me whack you.”

Tommy couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t make me regret hooking you up there.” He raised his hands in mock self-defense, then shook his head. “Fine, if you’re sure. Poison, I hope you and yours find what you’re looking for out there. Keep on fighting the good fight.” He snuffed out his cigarette on the floor with the toe of his boot.

Poison grasped his forearm for a moment, looking him in the eye. “I’ll be in touch, don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll also check up on this old fuck from time to time. You may die one day, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you get to be an even older fuck.” He laughed, releasing his arm.

D shrugged and crossed his arms. “Don’t go getting too sentimental on me, Party,” he said. “The desert is going to eat you alive if it sees you like this.” But a smile appeared on his lips.

Poison embraced the old man the same way he did Tommy. “Take care of yourself, and Pony too.” He laughed and shook his head before leaving the room, heading to meet up with his team. “You girls sure you want to stick around with us?” he said. His eyes flickered to Timid in the rearview mirror, but ended up settling on Revenge.

Timid gripped Jet’s arm. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she said, smiling when he draped his arm around her.

Revenge swallowed and nodded. “I already told you, you’re stuck with me,” she said with a crooked smile. She tilted her head, her cheeks filling with color.

Poison smirked as he started up the car, revving the engine. His face couldn’t help but light up as they peeled away from Tommy’s store. He was thankful to Tommy in ways he’d never be able to express. In his heart, Poison knew he’d never truly be able to repay those debts.

\---

It was hours before they reached the outer Zones. Everyone was exhausted when they reached what remained of the diner. Ghoul hopped out of the car and searched the area, then turned back to the car and shook his head. “It’s been picked clean!” he said.

“It’ll be all right,” Poison assured him when he climbed back inside. “Let’s just check out the safe houses and see if any are still up.” 

“I think we shouldn’t start at the closest one,” Ghoul said. “If they really did get ahold of our location, that’s probably the first one they’d search.”

“Good thinking,” Poison said. He sped away from the diner, watching the remains in the rearview mirror. “Which of our holes was the best stocked?”

“Probably one of the ones up north,” Kobra said. “If we aren’t just darting to the closest stop.” He scratched the scruff that was forming on his chin. “Probably if we head a bit east and keep going north, we’ll run into one of the bigger ones.”

“We won’t be staying there, even for the night,” Poison reminded everyone. “We just have to see what we can take and hope it’s enough to last us until we get settled. I don’t want to have to reach out to Tommy unless we have no other choice.”

Ghoul frowned. “Tommy is going to be supplying us?” he said.

“Yes. Ghoul, we can’t trust anyone else right now, and he takes IOUs.”

“Why would you set that up with him?” Ghoul said. “We have Timid. We can live off the land. Anything is better than owing him and working it off for the rest of our lives!”

“Timid’s hunting is going to be our primary source of food,” Poison said. “I just wanted to make up a backup plan so we don’t end up starving to death. I know you hate owing anyone money, especially Tommy—but dammit, Ghoul, I’m doing what I have to do to keep us alive.”

Ghoul huffed and fell back in his seat, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. “If you get stuck in some insane payment plan with him, that’s on you,” he said. “After I got stuck working six months for a fucking pallet of Pup, you’d think you’d know better.”

“I know his rates are insane, but in a pinch, no one comes through better,” Poison said. “I don’t want to discuss this further. We won’t end up starving to death thanks to him. I’m not saying you have to be grateful, but at least don’t rag on the guy whose saving our asses.”

Jet rubbed his hand up and down Timid’s side. The last thing he wanted to do was get her worked up again. “Well, at least we made it out here safe and sound?” he said.

Ghoul shot him a look, but glanced away again. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “We’re on our way to a new home. Something to look forward to.” He managed a weak smile.

\---

When Poison pulled up to the old building, it looked even worse than he had remembered. The door was hanging off the hinges and half the supplies were gone. Nonetheless, he nodded to Kobra. They took as many cans of Pup and tubs of water as they could. Kobra sighed as they loaded the food in the trunk.

“You sure about this, man?” he whispered “Is there any way we could reclaim one of our old spots, one we didn’t talk about?”

Poison swallowed thickly. “I wish there was,” he said. “This isn’t easy for me, either. We may just have to use the sleeping bags for a while, until we can find a suitable place.” He sighed and scratched his head. “I don’t know on this one, Kobra. I’m just going with my gut.”

Kobra nodded and headed back to the car, trying to give the team an encouraging smile. “So we at least could recover something,” he said. “Now all we gotta do is find a decent place to set up camp.”

“We’re camping?” Revenge called from the back, cringing at the memories of the last time they were forced to stay outside.

“Yeah, just until everything dies down and we find a halfway decent place. Girls, try to tuck in close to us, and don’t wander on your own.” 

Poison climbed inside and took off again. He searched the area, trying to avoid the mining equipment and the caves. The last thing they needed was for someone to fall down a shaft. Finally, he stopped at an area surrounded by metal rubble and hills. “This should be good,” he said, parking the car behind the wreckage. “Stay away from as much of this shit as you can. I don’t want you guys getting lockjaw.”

Kobra helped him set up the sleeping bags before trying to build a fire. Ghoul lit up the brush with his old lighter. “Well, I’m glad to be under the stars again,” Ghoul said. “Feels like we’re getting back to our roots or something.”

“Are you all right, man?” Kobra said. “Normally you’d be jumping for joy and declaring death to the Draculoids by now.”

“I think it’s just been a long couple of days, feeling a bit more drained then I usually would be.” Ghoul stretched his arms and let out a sigh. “Maybe the desert will help reset my brain. Killing a few Better Living fucks wouldn’t hurt, either.”

Kobra chuckled. “I think we should do our best to stay out of sight, if we can,” he said. “At least until we’re sure what we’re up against.” He sat down on the ground. 

“Eh, Dracs, Scarecrows, they’re all stupid fucks and I’d be happy as fuck to take any of them down.” Ghoul grinned, sitting next to him. “One day, I’m going to rid the world of them, and we’ll go back to having a good life. One where we don’t have to constantly starve and scrape by or worry about getting our throats slit in the middle of the night.”

“Sounds like you got everything worked out for you, then,” Kobra said. He glanced over at him. “What do you think you’re going to do when we finally shut them down for good?”

Ghoul shrugged. “Not sure. Probably hang around you jackasses for a little bit, then maybe try to help some of the kids in the city adjust to living out here.”

“You think they’re going to come out to the Zones once Better Living goes down?” Kobra said. “I don’t really see that happening.”

“What other choice are they going to have?” he said. “Without Better Living, there’s no food, no structure. If they’re going to want to keep on living, they’re going to have to adapt to the reality of the Zones.” He closed his eyes. “No matter how this ends, one group is going to perish or adapt, and it sure as hell won’t be us.”

“That’s depressing.” Kobra laid his head on his knees, hugging his legs. “I was hoping there would be a way to integrate everyone and make everyone happy, but maybe I’m being unrealistic.”

“Even if there was, I doubt anyone who’s been forced to live in the Zones would be happy with that outcome,” Ghoul said. “We’re going to be lucky if they’re not calling for blood when this is all over. I know a lot of people from the city hate us, but I don’t think they realize how they’re seen in the Zones.” He shook his head. “I don’t think we’re meant to mesh at all.”

“Maybe I’m just being overly optimistic about things, but I think I’ll always hope for everyone to end up getting along,” Kobra said. “It won’t be an easy process and it’ll take plenty of time, but dammit, with all the lies we’ve been fed about each other, maybe just getting together will heal some wounds.”

Ghoul chuckled. “Even if you’re an overly optimistic fool, I like that about you, and you shouldn’t ever stop hoping for a peaceful ceasefire,” he said. “After all, it’s people like you who are going to bring us all together in the end. Me? I’m just going to be a thorn in everyone’s side.”

Kobra snickered. “You already are, my friend.” He shook his head gently. “Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of places for someone like you to make an ass out of yourself for years to come.”

“Without me, you’d go insane from boredom,” Ghoul teased. “Then when I’m a crazy rich handsome playboy, I’d have to come find you and bail you out.”

“Ghoul, sometimes you’re too much,” Kobra said, getting to his feet. “Don’t ever change, buddy,” he added before heading over to Jet and Timid.

“Hey, Kobra,” Jet called, waving him over. “How’s that fire coming, man?”

Kobra thumbed toward the direction of the sleeping bags. “Ghoul and I got it all set up. I just wanted to do a quick check-in.” His eyes fell on Timid. “How are you feeling?”

Timid leaned against Jet as she spoke. “I’m all right,” she said. “I’ve had a really bad headache over the last day or so. I think it’s just the stress and the heat, though. Nothing that’s a real cause for alarm.” She gave him a weak smile.

“I’ll see what I can do about increasing your water ration,” Kobra said. “But how is everything else going? You doing okay? I know that must’ve been really hard, and I just want to make sure it won’t bring you back to where you were before.”

Timid smiled weakly. “I’m really thankful you’d check on me, but I think I’m doing okay.” She looked to Jet for confirmation and smiled when he nodded. “I know I had a bad break before, but I’m trying everything we went over to keep myself grounded, I mean, it was scary as fuck.” She laughed. “But it all worked out for the best, and I’m just so glad you guys are okay.”

Jet smiled and smacked a kiss on her cheek. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered, hoping Kobra wouldn’t hear.

Timid beamed up at Kobra. “I do think it would be a good idea to keep up with the stress treatments, though, just to keep myself from slipping. What do you think?”

“I think that would be the best plan for the time being,” Kobra said. “I still want to get you in to see a real therapist, but that’ll be impossible right now. We’re just going to have to do everything we can to prevent all this gunk from building up on you.” 

“I’m really glad you’ve been here to help me get back on my feet,” Timid said, looking at Jet. “We both are.”

Kobra bowed his head for a moment before stepping away, wanting to give the couple privacy. He had a feeling that for the foreseeable future, they would need those moments together. This last attack was nothing compared to what Better Living was going to do, and everyone else would need support as much as she did.


	38. Betray me once..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the truth about Kobra's girl comes out, it threatens to divide the team in half. Things seem like they're never going to settle down until Timid and Jet share a tender moment.

Camping had taken its toll on the Four. While they had camped more often in their younger days, age was finally starting to creep up on them. Poison pushed them to stretch and exercise while they were on the road. Ghoul searched for a new location, but the diner wasn’t the only building that had been burned down in that rampage. He found more than half a dozen skeletal remains, burnt to ash or picked clean by wildlife. Every time he returned, he was in a worse mood than when he left. He demanded to be left alone and sulked until they went to bed.

Kobra and Poison decided to take today’s run, leaving the camp in Jet and Ghoul’s care. Kobra drove while Poison fussed over the old map that they’d found in their safe house.

“Is everything okay over there?” Kobra said when his brother let out a particularly frustrated grunt. “Don’t rip that thing in half.”

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Poison said. He did his best to fold the map instead of crinkling it into a ball and throwing the wad out the window. “I just keep hoping something is going to go right for us, but the universe seems set on fucking us over.”

“You know that’s not true,” Kobra started, but stopped at the look Poison gave him. “Jesus fuck, Poison. I know everything’s a mess right now, but you’re acting like the Zones themselves are falling apart. I thought this was all part of your plan.”

“Plans don’t work out here, you know that,” Poison mumbled. “I guess I’m just having a bad day. I can’t really blame Ghoul for acting like such an ass when everything just seems set against me.”

“Is this about Jet not wanting to go with me?” Kobra said. “I know you wanted to hang back and keep an eye on things, but Timid really does need to be monitored, and he is the best suited to keep an eye on her. He keeps her calm.”

“I know that, but it’s still problematic on my end when I want him to go on a run,” Poison said. “We need to cover Ghoul, or he’s going to end up going postal on us. I know we have to take care of the girls, too, I’m not denying it, but he also has a job to do and the three of us can’t cover for him until she’s back in perfect health.”

“I get where you’re coming from, don’t get me wrong, but I think you should just let this one go for Jet’s sake,” Kobra said. “The last thing we need is a big fight to break out. We’ve already handled it. Just don’t go picking a fight for the sake of your pride.”

Poison hesitated. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “It’s not that I want us at each other’s throats. I just don’t want to end up resenting him for not carrying his end and having it all forced upon us.”

“I know you might not want to hear this—in fact, I imagine it’s one of the last things you want to hear—but you’re guilty of that as well.” Kobra tightened his grip on the steering wheel and kept his eyes locked forward, careful not to glance in his brother’s direction.

“What do you mean?” Poison said. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Well, when you ended up falling for Revenge…I was jealous. I had to deal with Harley taking off and leaving us for dead. Then you brought home this girl and everything just fell into place so easily for you. Then, to be quite honest, you did start slacking off to be with her. We carried that weight as much as we could. I know it’s probably dumb, but it really did affect me personally.”

“I didn’t realize—no, that’s not an excuse. I should have known.” Poison closed his eyes for a moment before turning to his brother. “Kobra, I never meant to hurt you or make you feel jealous or anything. I’d never want that. You’re my brother, and I love you. I should have stopped and thought about how it’d make you feel, considering everything that had happened with Harley. I was just so caught up in myself and in her. I wasn’t thinking right. I’m sorry.”

Kobra gave him a weak smile and shook his head “Don’t apologize, it’s fine. I’ve come to terms with what Harley did, and…I know that she’s probably dead.” He looked down sadly for a moment.

“Why do you figure that?” Poison said shakily. 

“I’ve known for a while, actually,” Kobra admitted. “Ever since I was held in the city. They used her death to taunt me, showed me pictures.” A shiver ran up his spine. “But I know it’s because she was taken from me. She didn’t just choose to leave me behind. I’ve sort of come to terms with it. She just did what we’ve always said, and I’m proud of her.”

Poison watched Kobra carefully. “I’m sorry, man,” he said. “I really wish that wasn’t the case.” 

Kobra shook his head. “I guess that’s why I want to help Timid and Jet so badly,” he said. “I don’t want to see that happen again, or to you.” He finally looked over, giving his brother a sad smile. “It’s bittersweet at times, because I do miss her a lot, but I really am happy for you and I think you’ve done a bang-up job keeping her safe.”

Tears pricked in Poison’s eyes. “We knew she’d been killed for years!” he blurted out.

Kobra slammed on the brakes. Poison was thrown forward, his body jerking against the seatbelt. “What did you say?” Kobra whispered, his foot shaking against the brake pedal. “Poison, what did you say?”

Hot tears poured down Poison’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Kobra. We didn’t want to hurt you—”

“What did you say?” Kobra demanded, tears running down his face.

“We’d known Harley was killed by Better Living for ages,” Poison rasped. “We didn’t want to upset you.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” Kobra begged. He grabbed Poison’s shoulder and shook him. “Why the fuck wouldn’t you? How did you even know?”

Poison steadied himself, then reached for Kobra’s hands. “We found posters bragging about her murder,” he whispered. “We were worried you’d try to storm the city and end up getting killed. We weren’t trying to lie to you, just protect you.”

Kobra swatted his brother’s hands away. “You let me go on for so long, thinking that she just left me, left us,” he said, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. “If you wanted to protect me, you should have protected me from yourself.”

“I’m so sorry,” Poison whispered. He nearly jumped when Kobra started the car again. “What are you doing?” he said, not brave enough to even glance at his brother.

“I’m helping us look for a base,” Kobra said numbly. “That’s why we’re out here, isn’t it?”

“Kobra, we can go back if you want to—”

“No, I’m not going to abandon our mission over this,” he said. “I’m pissed, Poison, but I’m not dying. I want something good to come out of this mission, aside from finding out my team’s full of liars.” He slipped as much venom into the last word as he could. 

\---

They found a place the size of the diner, with a water pump that looked like it had been rigged by other Killjoys months ago. Poison took over driving afterward. He pulled the Trans Am to a stop at their campsite, then turned to speak to his brother. But Kobra slipped out of the car without looking at him. Kobra stormed over to get his things, ignoring Ghoul when he called him over. When he felt a hand on his back, Kobra jerked away violently. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed.

Ghoul instinctively pulled away. “W-what’s wrong?” he said. “Did something go wrong?”

“No,” he hissed. “We found a new place. Get your shit together.” He wadded up his sleeping bag and stormed back to the car.

Poison watched him leave, then came up to Ghoul. “I told him the truth about Harley,” he whispered.

“Why the fuck would you do that?” Ghoul hissed, trying to keep his voice down. “I thought we agreed we’d never talk about it again.”

Poison shook his head sadly. “I couldn’t keep lying to him,” he said. “And that’s what we were doing—lying. He had already found out how she died and Better Living used it against him. We should have told him right away. It wasn’t easier on him, and we’re all guilty.”

“You could have at least talked to us about this first,” Ghoul said. “Fuck, I don’t blame him for being pissed. That’s like Jet when he flies into his rages.”

“It’s Kobra, he’s not going to hurt us. He just thinks we’re all liars and needs some time to himself.” Poison sighed slowly. “We’re just getting what we deserve.” He headed off to find Revenge and help her pack her things.

Ghoul stood there for a few moments, stunned, then gathered up his own gear. Once he had packed up, he approached Jet. “Kobra knows about Harley,” he muttered, rubbing the scar on his cheek. “He’s furious, so I thought you ought to know”

“What part does he know?” Jet looked over nervously. “I mean, does he know that she died, or—”

“Everything, Jet. Poison told him everything. Just expect to be ignored or yelled at or whatever.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t talk to him even if your life depended on it,” he muttered as he headed for the car.

“Who’s Harley?” Timid asked behind Jet, her eyes filled with concern.

Jet exhaled. “I assume you heard the whole thing?” he said. “She was an Exterminator who used to join Killjoy groups and turn them in. She decided to leave that behind after she was nearly fucked over, and we found her wandering the desert.” He knelt down and invited her to take a knee with him. “After a ton of shit, Kobra and her had this wild romance and she was able to give us information about the interworkings of Better Living.”

“No way they liked that,” Timid muttered, tucking some loose hair behind her ear.

“Exactly. She was headed to pick up a few things one day and just disappeared. Because of how everything happened, we just assumed she was done with us and moved on. Kobra was a wreck and didn’t stop drinking for months.” He cringed at the memories.

“What happened then?” Timid whispered. She had a feeling what had happened, but she needed to hear it from him.

“They found her and killed her. Posted images of her corpse all over the Zones. By the time we found out, it was months later and much too late to do anything, so we agreed to never tell him. It seemed easier to just let him think she took off than for him to relive everything again.” Jet shook his head.

“Well, that’s all sorts of fucked up,” Timid said, then embraced him. “I’m sorry. It must have been hard on all of you as well.”

“It was,” Jet said in slight shock, unable to believe that she’d hug him after hearing that. “We really thought it’d never come up again. In addition to mourning one of our own, we had to take care of him. And despite how Kobra acts, when he gets drunk, he gets out of control.”

Timid nodded. “Well, all we can do now is help him see that it wasn’t ill-intentioned, and maybe he can end up forgiving you guys one day,” she said. “I know he will. But sitting around feeling bad about it won’t do anything.”

Jet smiled weakly and kissed her. “You know, Timid Bruiser, you give some damn fine advice,” he said. “You’re right, you know? I guess I’ll do whatever it takes to earn his trust back.” He chuckled sadly.

“That’s my man.” She beamed and stood up. “Now come on, let’s get out of this sandhole and find our new home!” She laughed when he swooped her up into an even tighter hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered for a moment and held her close before going to load their supplies in the car. They were the last to get in. Kobra was sitting in the back, glaring at everyone. His usual spot was taken by Ghoul, so Jet had to awkwardly climb into the back and face him. Facing a Scarecrow seemed to be easier than this.

\---

After everyone got settled, Kobra was still furious. He was mad at everyone, even the girls. He wouldn’t even work with Timid. Every time Poison tried to talk to him, he would stormed away. Sometimes he muttered something about checking the perimeter and took the car, not coming back until late at night. It terrified Poison to think that eventually he wouldn’t come back, whether by his will or by Better Living’s.

Poison headed over to the guys, hanging his head. “Has he said anything to you guys at all?” he said.

“No,” Jet sighed. “He won’t even talk to Timid or anything. He just gets pissed off or tells me to mind my own fucking business for once. I really want to make this up to him.”

“I knew if he ever found out, it would be bad,” Ghoul said. “But I had no idea it’d be like this. I don’t want us to fall apart because of this. Poison, we have to do something.”

Poison nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll try to think of something. In the meantime, we need to keep getting this place secure.” He sighed, hating that he was falling back to their usual work when his brother was hurting so badly. “Ghoul, I want you to go out and try to check for anything recent in the area.” He weakly tossed him the keys. “And Jet, you and Timid go ahead and set up traps and see if you can bring us some meat. We can store up as much as possible just in case we need to move in a hurry.”

Ghoul nodded, making sure to put a new pack in his gun before heading out. He knew these were just distractions, but he didn’t have the heart to protest. Jet headed over to Timid and conveyed the plan to her. “You sure you’re okay to go out?” he said.

Timid couldn’t stop smiling. “Of course I am,” she chirped, loading a bag up with supplies. “Can we go now?” 

“Yeah,” Jet said. “‘Course we can.”

The sun was hotter than usual as they set up traps. Sweat rolled down Timid’s face and neck. “I hope we get some good kills up here,” she said. “I know we’re not too far from the diner, but we could find loads of different species.”

Jet chuckled. “You make it sound like we left to another continent or something,” he said. “We’re still in the desert.”

She grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “Nothing wrong with holding out hope, I guess,” she said. “I hope we can get plenty of snakes out here. I really like how snakeskin holds up. Plus, if we turn it inside out, it can be used to carry water, along with looking cool.” She laughed.

“Where on earth did you learn all this stuff?” Jet said.

“My dad, mostly,” she said. “He was super into the survivalist movement, even when they were in the city. He had all these books that had been passed down through his family, from before the wars. I have no idea how he hid them during the book burnings.” 

“I’m surprised he didn’t run away with you when you left,” Jet said. “Seems like the kind of guy who would have gotten a kick out of Zone life.” 

She laughed weakly, but her face fell into a frown. “They were just educational in his mind,” she said. “Nothing to actually go out and do. My family is full of the worst kind of people. They thrive in areas like Battery City and wouldn’t leave even if their life depended on it.”

“Do you think about them a lot still?” Jet said.

She scoffed and shook her head. “Honestly after what happened with my sister and I, they were probably taken in and questioned. I highly doubt there still alive. And even if they are, I’m sure they weren’t the same people I left behind. In fact, I’m sure they hate me more now than they ever have.”

“Why do you think that?” Jet said, touching her shoulder.

“Since it’s my fault my sister was killed,” she said. “She was always the favorite. They’d never forgive me, even if I threw myself at their feet and begged. I’m certain they wouldn’t have given a shit if I was the one who was killed. But I know they’d probably lead the hunt for me themselves.”

Jet embraced her tightly. “Even if they came looking for you, I’d protect you from everyone,” he said. “Not just the city or some rouge assholes. If I have to protect you from your parents then so be it.”

Tears burst from her eyes. She started to sob in his arms. “I killed her,” she said. “It’s all my fault. She was my sister and I loved her, but I killed her.” 

“You didn’t kill her,” Jet tried to assure her. “You were trying to save her and those assholes ended up killing her. You were a good sister and just looking out for her. Better Living murdered your sister. You did nothing wrong.” His voice broke as he comforted her.


	39. Inner Battles Can Have the Loudest Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kobra recovers from the information his team kept from him. He struggles with the ideal of his brother's betraying him, while Ghoul fights with his own demons.

Kobra’s hands shook as he tried to pull out a cigarette. He slipped it between his lips, flicking the lighter over and over until he produced a flame. How could his team keep something so huge from him? It made his stomach knot up just thinking about it. Tears burned in his eyes and he choked down a sob. It wasn’t the time to be sad, it was time to lash out and be furious…

Yet all he could think about was Harley. How her face lit up when he called her name and caught her off guard. How her nose crinkled when she laughed. The feel of her hands on his face when he cried. For so long he had felt like he wasn’t meant to fall in love—and for once, he had.

Though he knew Jet wasn’t responsible for her death, he couldn’t help but want to blame him. Keeping the truth from him almost made it feel like Jet had a hand in losing her. Kobra thought about confronting him right in front of his girl, making her see what Jet was really capable of. But when he tried to stand up, his knees buckled and he sat down again. The guys just wouldn’t get it. Ghoul never tied himself down to any partner and Poison and Jet had their own girls.

Wiping his face with the back of his hand, Kobra forced himself to his feet. He wanted to at least go off on Jet. He headed to Jet’s room and paced in front of the door. After a few minutes, he carefully opened the door and peeked inside. Jet and Timid were locked in each other’s arms. Tears filled his eyes. He swallowed thickly before walking away. 

Looking at nothing in particular, he headed to the kitchen and decided to scrap together something to eat. It wasn’t until the smell of food hit his nose did he realize he hadn’t eaten in days. He dipped into their water stores and downed it quickly. His throat burned as it went down, but it was a good pain. “What am I doing?” he whispered. “If Harley was here right now, she’d kick my ass for being so dumb.” He chuckled and rubbed his eyes, hot tears sliding down his face. 

He put away the soiled dishes, then headed to his brother’s room. Maybe he just needed to talk to someone else who knew her. Even if she wasn’t his favorite person, Harley and his brother had managed a rocky friendship. He jumped when Poison came out with a harsh expression, but he quickly softened.

“You all right?” Poison said, carefully shutting the door behind him so as not to disturb Revenge.

“Not really, you got a bit?” Kobra said. His eyes were weary and exhausted.

“Yeah, of course,” Poison said. “How about coffee?” he said as the two headed downstairs.

“That would be all right, I guess.” Kobra sat down at one of the tables, only looking up when his brother set a mug in front of him. “Thanks,” he said. 

“So what’s going on?” Poison said. He had a feeling what was on Kobra’s mind, but he didn’t want to jump to conclusions and upset him further.

“Nothing, everything.” Kobra sighed and closed his eyes. “All this mess with Harley. I just—I thought it can’t be true, right?”

“I think it is Kobra,” Poison said quietly. “I don’t know what else to say, but I’m sorry.” 

Kobra stared down at his coffee. “They showed me pictures of her corpse, you know,” he whispered. “I figured it was all part of the brainwashing, just another thing they made up to use against me. But I hoped it wasn’t true. I could stand some of the other lies, but that one just cut too deeply.”

Poison opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. “I know I wouldn’t want to believe them if it was me,” he said finally. “I don’t blame you for holding onto that.”

Kobra nodded. “She was just—she is—” He bit his lower lip, letting a few tears fall. “I never thought she would get caught out of everyone. She was so good at staying ahead of them and knowing what their next move would be. I can’t even imagine what kind of trickery they had to use to corner her, and it makes me so angry that I couldn’t have been there to protect her. After all, I’m supposed to be the one person she was able to trust. I failed her.”

“You didn’t fail, Kobra,” Poison said. “That’s just how things are out here, you know? It’s natural to want to blame yourself when something bad happens to someone you care about. But she would want you to keep going. I may not have been her favorite person, but I know that much about her.”

Kobra managed to laugh. “I was just thinking that myself,” he said. “I know she always told me to keep going. But it’s hard to accept her death, and even harder knowing the guys kept it from me.” 

“I don’t think they were doing it to hurt you.” Poison patted his brother’s arm. “I think they were so afraid of you being hurt that they were trying to protect you. I know that’s how I would feel. Don’t give up on them. Be angry if you need to be, but please remember to forgive them. They are only idiots after all.” He tried to smile.

Kobra grimaced and stared at his brother’s hand. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s nice having someone just validate that anger sometimes.”

“Of course. I’m your brother, it’s why I’m here.” He gave him a knowing smile and finished the rest of his coffee. “You can come to me no matter what’s going on, and I’ll always find time for you. No matter what changes.” 

Kobra’s face started to heat up. “I know, Poison,” he said. “And you’re always going to mean the world to me. Considering how shitty this world is, I’m glad you’re fighting in it with me.”

Poison laughed. “Where else would I be? I’m not letting death catch me anytime soon. We have too much fun with this cat and mouse game.” His face fell when he saw the look on Kobra’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” 

Kobra nodded “I know you didn’t.” He grabbed the mugs and carried them to the sink. “I’m going to be all right. You don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass or anything.” 

“Don’t be dumb,” Poison said. “Of course I’m going to worry about you, you’re my brother.” He slung his arm around Kobra’s shoulders. “I’m going to worry about you forever, whether you like it or not.

Kobra shook his head and chuckled. “If you say so,” he said. “Why don’t you and Jet take the run for today, and I’ll stick around and keep an eye on the hotel. Ghoul can do some work or go out, whatever he needs to do.”

Poison clapped him on the back. “I can do that,” he said. He smiled before heading out, giving his brother a final look before he left.

—

Ghoul frowned, looking over the engine he was fiddling with. Now Kobra was mad at him, and Poison was too busy fixing things in the group to hear him out. Poison said he understood, but didn’t want to hear about it. Well, Poison never fucking wanted to hear about it. He groped for his flask and took a swig, thankful for the familiar burn down his throat. He looked back at the hotel for a moment and sighed. He wanted to go in and apologize, but Poison had told him and Jet not to. He needed to get out of here for a while.

He grabbed Kobra’s bike and revved it up, driving until he was fairly sure the back of his neck was sunburnt. When he dismounted the bike, he nearly toppled over. He stumbled around the market, looking for something and nothing at the same time. It would be stupid to get Kobra a gift right now, but he had hoped that wandering around a market would at least give him an idea. But he shrugged it off and found a tent selling booze. He loaded up his bags and paid the seller.

The bottles clinked and clanked in his bag as he walked back to the bike. Before he mounted a bike, he decided to take a few drinks. He nearly coughed from the sting. He tucked the bottle back into his bag and had mounted the bike when it hit him. There was no way he could take all this liquor back to the hotel without getting shit for wasting carbons. He bit his lip for a moment and started the engine.

His mind raced as he flew over the sands. After what felt like a few hours of driving, he still didn’t have an idea. Suddenly he spotted what looked like an abandoned warehouse. He jumped off the bike and lugged the bottles inside. The warehouse was empty, everything coated in a fine layer of dust. Once the bottles were hidden away, he grabbed a bottle and downed half of it as fast as he could. Tears sprung to his eyes as he swallowed. But the feelings of worry and guilt faded away with the burning. Laughing, he tucked the bottle away and nearly tripped over himself getting back to the bike.

Driving was more difficult than he had remembered, but he shrugged it off. When he saw the hotel coming into view, he couldn’t remember how to break, so instead he eased off the gas until the bike slowed to a stop and fell over on its side. Ghoul swore and wriggled out from under the live bike. He finally killed the engine and stood it back up, then stumbled back to the garage, smiling at the parts he had laying around.

He turned and stopped when he saw Poison. “What are you doing here?” Ghoul slurred, his words nearly unintelligible. “I thought you were running.” 

“I just got back.” Poison inhaled sharply. “Listen, if you’re going to be a dumbass and try to get yourself killed, do me a favor and don’t put our base in jeopardy.” 

“What the fuck does that mean?” Ghoul said.

“I mean next time you want to get drunk, have the decency to sleep it off, so you don’t risk leading the enemy right here,” Poison said, then turned and stormed off before he could respond.


	40. Drink it all Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul is still struggiling, Kobra tried to help, bad new covers the waves.

Kobra sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Maps were strewn across the floor. He watched the doorway, waiting for his brother to return. The radio buzzed behind his head, stories of Drac raids and Scarecrow firefights lighting up the waves. Even D was back on air to respond to the situation. Deep in Kobra’s gut, he knew that they were searching for them.

Kobra smiled weakly when Poison walked in. “Got any good news?” he said.

Poison shook his head, leaning against the wall. “Just more bad news on the radio,” he said. “Sounds like Better Living is getting their foothold back.” 

“Just what we don’t need,” Kobra said. “I’m just waiting for them to lash out at us for getting them out of the Zones.”

“You’ve been up all night worrying again?” Poison said. “You’ve gotta take a minute to take care of yourself, man. Of course they’re going to come after us. But we’ll take them down when they try.” He gripped his brother’s shoulders, shaking him to emphasize his point. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Kobra managed to smile. “I can always use you to shake some sense into me,” he said. 

Poison patted him on the back. “I’m always going to be around for that,” he said. “Why don’t you get yourself into bed and get some rest?”

Kobra smiled, then turned and headed out the door. Poison’s eyes followed Kobra as he left the room. The truth was, it was much worse than his brother could ever know. He sank down into the chair, cradling his face in his hands.

\---

The days were growing shorter. A chill flushed over the desert and freezing nightly temperatures started to roll in. The hotel needed extra insulation, a project that required time and money. The team’s money problems were getting worse with the girls living there, even if Poison wouldn’t admit it. And Ghoul was getting more frustrated with his lack of action. He went out drinking more often, driving home completely drunk. 

Kobra was always the first to find him. “Just breathe through it,” he said weakly, pulling his friends hair back as he emptied his stomach contents into the sand. 

“I’m fine—” Ghoul sputtered out before retching again. Tears streaked his dirt-stained face.

Kobra sighed weakly. “No, you’re clearly not.” He shook his head and knelt down, lifting Ghoul and carrying his weight. “Come on, man, just let me help you.”

Ghoul groaned in protest. “I don’t want to be a burden,” he said. He was so lost in his own head that he didn’t even notice Kobra laying him on one of the tables in the main room. 

“You’re not,” Kobra said. He looked out the window, searching for a horizon line that had faded when the sun went down. “No one here is. Look, I know these changes suck.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at how light that made it sound. “But I’m more worried about you wrecking yourself.”

“It’s not like I’m killing myself,” Ghoul said. “I’m just going out and having fun.”

“Are you?” Kobra finally met his gaze. “You’re coming home at all hours of the night sauced. Driving when you can barely walk. I’ve seen the cuts and bruises. I know you’re fighting again.”

“Well, fuck, when did you become my wife?” Ghoul said. “Why don’t you focus a little less on me and try to go out and do your job? Then maybe we wouldn’t be so fucked for money.”

Kobra recoiled. “Why are you lashing out at me for trying to take care of you?” he said, his voice shaking. “Why are you getting angry with me instead of trying to talk this out with your brothers?”

“Newsflash, Kid, I’m allowed to be angry sometimes,” Ghoul said. “I’m allowed to go out and get drunk and have fun with my money!” 

“I’m not saying you can’t. I just want to know why. What is it about this that was so different from a month ago? Two months ago? What am I not doing to help you?”

“I’ve told you time and time again. I don’t want your help! I don’t need it!” Ghoul stumbled to his feet, swerving and nearly falling right back down. “I don’t want you to help me! I want you to notice!” He fell back on the seat and groaned.

“Attention?” Kobra whispered. “Is that why you’ve been acting like a total madman?”

“No, nothing like that,” Ghoul said. “I just miss being a team. The four of us.”

“We’re still together, though,” Kobra said. “I know some things have changed and it hasn’t been the easiest. But we’re still a team.”

“Are we?” Ghoul said. He lowered his head, his face covered by his curtain of hair. “We hardly see each other. We’re constantly running missions. I know Better Living is getting to be more of a pain all the fucking time. And I know Poison doesn’t want us getting in needless fights. But we can’t keep running away like this. Hell, you two can’t even decide who’s leading this team half the time.”

Kobra face fell and he turned away. “Poison has these rules to protect us,” he said. “Because he cares about us. That’s his way of saying that we are a team.”

“No, it’s his way of saying that he’s given up and he’s taking us with him. All he cares about is keeping himself and Revenge safe, and you know it.” He pushed the hair out of his face. “Poison only keeps us around to work as security.”

Kobra frowned. “Are you mad at things changing, or are you mad at my brother?” he said. “It seems like no matter what he does, you take it as a personal insult. “

“Don’t go there, man,” Ghoul said. “You know that isn’t the case at all.”

“Sure seems like it. Man, in the end I can’t do anything right for you.” He sighed and sat back, tugging off his boots. “I’m done. I won’t try to fix things. Talk to Poison and Jet. Or don’t. You’re just going to keep acting like this to spite him.”

Ghoul scoffed. “You know I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “I just—what are we even doing anymore? I sure as hell don’t feel like a ‘Joy. I just feel like I’m floating around aimlessly with no purpose anymore. And no amount of waiting is going to change it. “

Kobra tried to smile. “I think that’s how almost everyone feels,” he said. “All the time. We have been the superheroes so long that we don’t have any other role. I know just waiting and watching seems like it’s nothing, but it’s probably one of the hardest jobs we have out here. And I know there has to be a reason for it. Even If we don’t see it yet.”

“I guess,” Ghoul said glumly. “I just wish it was more immediate.”

“Go talk to D or Poison,” Kobra said. “I know I can’t make you, but I think you’ll find answers to help make this easier.”

Ghoul nodded and slumped against the table, giving into the exhaustion. “Don’t tell anyone about tonight,” he whispered after a few moments of silence.

Kobra looked over, surprised that he hadn’t passed out yet. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Kobra said before standing and giving Ghoul what privacy he could.

\---

The next morning, Jet found Ghoul passed out on the table, reeking of hard liquor. Jet couldn’t help but cringe. If Ghoul was drinking his money away, there was nothing he could do about it. But he sure as hell didn’t want to get involved with it. He sighed to himself and stepped away from his friend, shaking his head before heading to scrape up breakfast and look over the plans.

Jet clenched his old pen between his teeth. He scribbled down ideas before crossing them out just as rapidly. The easiest idea would be to go on a few runs to cover the cost of the hotel renovations. But with Scarecrow officials on the loose, Poison had ordered that no one leave the hotel unless it was absolutely necessary. He smiled at the sound of creaking floorboards, hoping that Timid would join him. But after a few minutes, his face fell when no one appeared in the doorway.

When the coffee was ready, he scrunched up his face before taking a sip. It tasted like mud. He raised an eyebrow when Poison stumbled his way into the kitchen. “You want some swill?” Jet joked, but stopped at the look on Poison’s face.

“Just pour me some,” Poison grunted. “I was up all night, and I just need to be punched in the face.”

“I can think of a few people who would be happy to oblige,” Jet said. He hauled himself onto the countertop, swinging his legs. “Any news from D?”

“He’s been broadcasting again, but not for long,” Poison said. “Pony takes over for most of it. He’s going to keel over any time at this rate. I know he wants things to get moving again, but he was fucked up pretty badly.”

“So were you,” Jet reminded him softly. “But you’re doing great.” He finished his mug and filled it up again. “You should have some faith in the old guy.”

“I do, I do,” Poison said. “I just know his body isn’t repairing itself as fast as it used to. I’m worried what this is going to mean for him down the line.”

“We probably don’t have much time down the line, either.” Jet coughed and slid back to his feet, dusting off his heavy boots. “Don’t think about it too much. Just trust he knows what he’s doing.”

Poison nodded. “I was thinking you and I should try to go on a quick run,” he said. “Make a few carbons to help out around here. How’s the project going?”

“Expensive. At this rate we won’t have time to do much else besides kiss Tommy’s ass for the next two years.”

Poison grimaced, the lines around his mouth becoming more apparent. “Well, fuck me,” he said, then finished his mug of coffee. “We better start going, then. Get a head start on this mess.”

Jet paused for a moment. “I thought you didn’t want us running anyway,” he said cautiously.

Poison shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t want us out and running,” he said. “I just think we’re getting too sloppy and I’d rather you guys not get killed.”

Jet chuckled. “I think we’re a bit past that point,” he said. “We can take care of ourselves.” He grabbed the jacket that was slung over the chair. “Keep this up and everyone’s going to think you lost your nerve.”

Poison scoffed. “Don’t be a dumbass. It’s for your protection as much as my own.” He motioned for him to follow. “I was looking for work all night and found a few easy jobs that’ll keep us under the radar for now.”

“What’s got you so spooked, anyway?” Jet said, snatching the keys from him.

“I don’t know. Everything just seems disillusioned. It’s like I’m being shot up with heroin and don’t even know it.” He opened the door and sat in the passenger’s seat. “Maybe I just need a good run to get out of my own head.”

Jet nodded, backing away from the hotel. “Which way are we headed?”

“Just go east. It’s just a cargo and transportation gig. Nothing too heavy.”

Poison leaned back in his seat. As they drove, the tension started to ease from his face. He watched the desert sunrise and how the colors formed in the sand. “You know, despite how much living out here is a pain in the ass, nothing tops these mornings,” he said.

“What are you, a poet?” Jet teased. “It is nice out here, though,” he added before getting out and slamming the door behind him. 

Poison took the lead and negotiated a decent rate for the work. Because of their work as the Fabulous Four, he was able to get the payment upfront—no need to come back once the packages were dropped off. He pocketed the money with a confident smirk, promising that the goods would be dropped off by the end of the night. 

Between him and Jet, they loaded the back of the Trans Am in about an hour. Poison grunted as they hauled the last of the boxes inside. Very little was said between the two of them. Poison looked at his friend with soft eyes. Guilt struck him for not asking the other two along, but he feared that the extra work would be a burden on them. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he snatched the keys from Jet and took the driver’s seat.

“I’m good enough to drive,” he said.

“You got this.” Jet grinned, adjusting the eye patch on his face. “You’d think I’d be used to this by now, but I don’t think I’ll ever be.”

“At least it makes you look super badass,” Poison said. He leaned back in his seat and drove off. “Maybe we should all get one and become the one-eyed Killjoys.” 

Jet snorted. “Yeah, then we’d miss every shot from lack of depth perception.” Jet closed his eye. “It’s really not as bad as it could be. At least I didn’t go blind or something.”

Poison nodded. “We would have taken care of you, you know?” he said. “I wouldn’t just throw you aside because you couldn’t keep running.”

“You better not have, or my blind ass would have hunted you down and kicked all of your butts.” Jet laughed at the idea of him stumbling around and threatening a dirty pile of laundry by accident.

Poison rolled his eyes. “Big talk, big talk.” He sighed in relief when they hit the drop-off point. “Let’s get this over with, yeah?”

“It’s been nice to go on a run with you,” Jet said as they got out of the car. “I feel like I haven’t seen you around at all lately.”

“Well, you’re busy with Timid and I’ve been taking care of Revenge,” Poison said. “I was hoping this run would help clear my head a bit more, but I guess that’s asking a lot from a transport job.”

“You seem a lot calmer than you did even a few hours ago.” Jet slapped him on the back after hauling a few boxes out of the car. “I think it’s helping. You just need to do it more often. Then when you least expect it, it’ll all come together.”

Poison chuckled and nodded. “Thanks, man. I know you’re right, but instant gratification would be great. How about you? Any ideas on fixing up the hotel?”

Jet scoffed as he stacked the boxes. “I wish. It’s going to be a pain in the ass no matter what. I’m wondering if Pony could take a few hours off every so often to help out.”

“Good luck getting him away from D for that long,” Poison said, unloading the rest of the boxes. “But it’s worth a shot, I guess. It’d be nice if we could get an extra pair of hands to cut down on costs. Keep our location safe, all that crap.”

“You think we’ll settle down here long enough to actually see this done?” Jet said. “I mean, it’s not like we can stay here indefinitely. Look at what happened with the diner. Wouldn’t it be easier to just find a new base?”

Poison sighed and motioned for them to head back to the car. “I thought about it, but we’ve held up here pretty well so far. I wish we still had the diner as an option, but I don’t want to jinx something that’s been going well for us. With our luck, we’d move and get caught right away. Plus, I don’t want to move around jumping at shadows, or we’ll never find a new base.”

“I guess I see your point, but looking around wouldn’t hurt in case of an emergency.”

“You got me there, I guess,” Poison said as he started the engine. “We can start looking tonight, then, but only for a suitable living situation in case we have to move. I don’t want the guys to get it in their heads we’re just going to be taking off for no reason.”

“Maybe we can find something closer to D,” Jet said. “In case the old man needs us for something. And that way you can keep an eye on his old ass.”

Poison chuckled. “Man, get your mind out of the gutter. You’re closing in on Ghoul’s territory there.”

Jet snorted, unable to stop smiling by the time they pulled back to the diner. But Jet’s good mood was ruined the second they pulled up to the hotel. A furious Ghoul and Kobra were waiting. Poison immediately killed the engine and stepped out.

“Where were you?” Kobra demanded.

“We just had a cargo drop to do,” Poison said. “I figured we could use the extra carbons, so Jet and I took care of it. No big deal.”

“Yes, big deal!” Kobra said. “We had no idea where you were! You could have been taken by Dracs or gotten into a fight! We’ve been searching the radio all fucking day, looking for a sign of you! If you’re going to take off, the least you can do is give us a heads up!”

Poison rolled his eyes. “Calm down, little bro,” he said. “You’re going to have a heart attack at this rate. It really was no big deal.”

“Why the fuck were you running when you told us to lay low?” Ghoul said.

“Listen, I was just trying to help out,” Poison said. “Why are you guys freaking out so bad?”

Ghoul stormed off, cursing under his breath. Kobra looked at his brother for a while, then walked away, shaking his head.


	41. And the Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momentary highs come crashing down with more reckless behavior. The group struggles with the choices of one of the four, and it may lead to his removal, or worse his death.

Ghoul had forgotten where he was headed. All he knew was that he had half a bottle of unmarked liquor left, and he wasn’t ready to stop. His eyelids started to close. Everything seemed blurry. The sound of the horn blaring against his chest snapped him awake. “Fuck,” he hissed, swerving to avoid a collision. He groped for the bottle and took another swig. It burned his throat and he let out a long sigh.

He could hear the radio going off, Poison demanding he turn around and come straight home. He stared at the buttons for a moment and let out a displeased noise. Rubbing at his eyes, he got out of the car and stumbled around. He had parked in front of the old abandoned warehouse where he used to store his booze. He had nearly drunk it dry, all those years of saving gone in the span of a few weeks.

It was their fault, of course. If Poison weren’t selfish, if Jet weren’t distracted, and if Kobra would let him do as he pleased, he wouldn’t be in this situation. He laughed bitterly. It was their fault, and now they’d have to deal with the consequences. His laughter grew louder and wilder with each passing second. Yes, it really was some bittersweet justice, and in the end all his pain would be worth it.

He searched under the boxes until he found a few bottles that weren’t completely dry, then stumbled back to the car. After taking another swig, he started the car and drove back to the diner. He saw Poison outside waiting for him and pulled to a stop. Ghoul nearly fell on his face when he crawled out of the seat. He let out a drunken laugh before passing out and letting his body flop into the sand.

\---

Poison had been ranting and yelling for what seemed like hours. Whenever someone tried to talk him, they just got yelled at themselves. Now it sounded like Poison was punching holes in the walls. Each loud thump was a reminder of his rage. Kobra looked at everyone with sad eyes.

“Ghoul is still out and I suggest we let him sleep,” Kobra said, running a hand through his hair. He couldn’t stop shaking. “He’s going to get enough shit from my brother when he wakes up.”

Jet crossed his arms. “We can’t just let him destroy everything because he’s being moody,” he said.

Kobra grimaced and looked at Revenge. “Why don’t you go try to calm him down?” he said.

She scratched the back of her head. “I’ll give it a go,” she said before heading to try to talk some sense into him. Muffled yells echoed through the walls, followed by short periods of silence, then more muffled yells. Kobra winced.

“With any luck, that will at least calm him down a little,” he said. “If this doesn’t work, we’ll just have to let him rage and hope he doesn’t take the car and drive off.”

Jet nodded and wrapped his arm tighter around Timid, not wanting her to cross paths with their leader right now. “What was Ghoul thinking, stealing money from the savings?” he said.

“Ghoul’s going through some stuff right now,” Kobra said. “As long as no one’s getting hurt, I think he just has to work it out. We’ve all done it at some point or another.”

Jet sighed. “I guess you’re right there,” he said. “I don’t want to see him get kicked out or anything. It’s just the worst time for this shit to go down.”

“Life rarely waits until the situation is perfect,” Kobra said and tried to smile.

“Is there anything we can do to help him?” Timid spoke up, looking between the two with uneasy eyes. “I don’t want him to end up hurting himself.”

“It’s a nice thought, but we can’t do anything,” Kobra said, scratching his head. “Until he wants to change, we just have to trust him not to do something stupid.”

“So we just wait here and hope for the best?” Timid frowned. “That sounds useless.”

“Timid, there’s only so much we can control,” he said. “And with Ghoul in particular, he’ll fight anyone he thinks is trying to change him or make him do something he doesn’t want to do. If he feels boxed in, he’ll rebel against it just for the sake of fighting.”

Timid pulled away. “Jet, he’s your brother, your friend.” She cringed when the shouting from the other room started to escalate again. “You can’t just throw up your arms and say, oh fucking well.”

“You’re not wrong,” Kobra said after a long silence. “But how would we enforce it? Lock him up in a room and force him to dry out? Tell him he’ll be out if he doesn’t listen? He’d be the first to flip us off and walk out himself. Or he’d play along and hit it even harder as soon as he got out. He’s smart, Timid, we can’t fool him or trick him. There’s a reason he’s still on this team, and that’s being able to think in high pressure situations and get out alive. We’d be no better than Better Living if we tried to control him.”

“But this is actually good for him,” Timid said. “This is different. It’s not like we’re using him for money or cheap labor.”

“I’m sure the people at Better Living justify it the same way,” Kobra said. “We can be mad or frustrated or tell him if he steals from us again, that’s the last straw. But we can’t force him to dry out if he doesn’t want to. That’s the end of it.”

Timid stared at her feet. “If we can’t help him sober up, what can we do?” she said.

“Minimize the damage from Poison’s anger. Keep him from kicking anyone out or taking off. Keep Ghoul around the best we can and try to encourage him to make good choices.” Kobra shrugged weakly. “Not much else we can do.”

Timid sighed and closed her eyes. “I get it,” she mumbled finally. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

After a few more minutes, Revenge came back in. Her face was pale, her cheeks red and swollen. “He’s okay, he just wants some space,” she hiccupped, then darted back to their room.

Kobra frowned, his eyes meeting Jet’s. He shook his head before breaking his own rule and deciding to peek in on his brother. “You got a minute?” he called.

Poison jerked his head around, his face wet with tears. He rubbed at his face with his hand. “Yeah, just give me a second,” he grumbled. “What do you want?”

“I know you’re mad, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t be,” Kobra started. “I just think you need to lay off Ghoul a bit. He fucked up, but he means well.”

“I am laying off him,” Poison said. “If I wasn’t, I would have thrown his drunk ass out with nothing but his gear.” He crossed his arms. “He stole from us. I don’t care how you want to slice it, it’s not okay.”

“I’m not trying to say what he did was okay. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.” He raised his hands, worried that his brother would escalate again. “I wanted to check on you, too. I know you’re really upset.”

Poison scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”

Kobra smiled sadly and leaned against one of the chairs. “Are you all right, though?”

“I guess,” Poison said. “I mean I just wish I knew what he was thinking. Just—why would he do something so stupid? Over what, booze? Getting drunk and acting like a jackass? Risking crashing the car?”

“Why don’t you go talk to him?” Kobra said gently. “Maybe he can help you fill in those gaps.”

“I would, but…” Poison grimaced. “I’m worried I’d just yell at him and it would get even worse. It’s like he has a gun to my head, and if I don’t do what he wants, he’s going to pull the trigger and blame it on me.”

Kobra patted his brother on the shoulder. “I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way,” he said. “Maybe give it some time and the two of you can try to talk this out.”

Poison chuckled. “When did you get so good at being a therapist?” he said.

“Well, I am a medic. It comes with the line of work.” He laughed shortly. “Seriously, though. You two need to talk this out at some point, or it’s just going to get worse.”

Poison shrugged and looked away. “Just give me a few days to calm down, I guess. Anyway, I highly doubt he’s going to be up and around the diner for the next few days. He’s going to have one hell of a hangover from how smashed he was.”

Kobra nodded. “It’s going to be all right,” he said. “I know it feels super crazy and overwhelming. But looking back, it’ll be a funny story—at least, I hope so.”

“Wow, don’t sound too confident there, Kobra,” Poison teased. “What, you think I’m going to make him fight to the death over this?”

“No I just know how things can get out of hand without anyone meaning them to. And I would really prefer not to lose one of our brothers because he did something dumb.”

“I can agree on that,” Poison said. “Now come on, you can make me something to eat.”

He laughed, but it was still off. Poison knew it would take him a while to get over this. Even if Kobra didn’t think it was a big deal, he felt betrayed his friend would go behind their backs like this. He barely noticed that his brother had left the room before following him, staring at his feet as he walked.

\---

Everyone was together for dinner that night, minus Ghoul. He was still drunk when he woke up, and Kobra checked every hour to make sure that he didn’t choke on his own vomit. Kobra washed his hands the best he could before joining everyone in the lobby to eat. The atmosphere was quiet at best and strained at worst. Everyone had an opinion on how to get through to Ghoul, but no one wanted to speak up and cause a fight. 

Jet and Timid whispered amongst themselves, stopping when Kobra walked by. He looked over weakly and tried to smile. The stress was on everyone’s faces. Maybe they were getting to the point that they’d been together too long. Maybe they all needed a break from each other. Either way, sitting in silence wasn’t fixing anything.

Kobra cleared his throat. “Listen, I know we’re going through a rough transition right now, but we have to be able to talk about this,” he said.

Jet looked over, his eyes more tired than usual. “And what do you propose we do at this point?” he said.

“We need to be supportive of Ghoul’s choices, whatever they are.” Kobra’s eyes rested on Poison the longest before looking back to the group as a whole. “And I think we need to get back to running.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting out on more runs,” Timid said. “I’m getting tired of being cooped up.”

“I’ve told you guys it’s not safe for us to be out and causing attention to ourselves,” Poison said, looking at his brother harshly. “If we don’t want to get into a blowout with the Scarecrows, we need to lay low.”

“And how long is that going to last?” Kobra said. “A week? A year? Are we going to let them take back the lands we just took from them?”

“Of course not, I wouldn’t surrender a single territory to those Better Living fucks. I just want to hold back until we have a better back-up plan.” He raised his hands. “Listen, if you guys are so set on this, start running. But try to avoid patrol gigs for the time being. Fair enough?”

Kobra frowned and crossed his arms. “It’s a nice thought, but I think we should take any jobs offered to us right now. We need the money anyway, and it’s a lot better than just sitting and waiting to be found.”

“I’m with Kobra.” Timid nodded and stood up. “I feel like we’ll get into more trouble by waiting than anything else.”

Jet sighed and looked at his hands. “I’m with Timid,” he said. “Doing nothing all day does something to you, and I don’t want feel like this anymore.”

Poison looked at them and sighed, letting his head fall. “If this is what you guys want, I won’t stop you,” he said. “But I’m keeping an eye on this place as long as I can.”

Kobra smiled. “Then we’re agreed,” he said. “I’ll get on the radio tonight and try to get as many jobs for us as we can.”

Poison sighed again and grabbed Revenge’s shoulder, leading her out wordlessly. “I don’t want to see them get killed,” he finally muttered when they were behind closed doors.

“I doubt they will,” she said, unable to look him in the eyes. “They made it this far.”

“I just don’t know,” he said. “I have this bad feeling in my gut. These Scarecrows are bad people, Revenge. Worse than Dracs by far. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of them. I don’t want to be the one who makes the call that gets them killed.” His hand shook as he cupped her face. “And I don’t want to get you killed, or leave you alone.”

Her lips parted before she embraced him and pressed their lips together. He shook as he cradled her body against his. The couple lay in bed that night, locked in each other’s arms, trying to forget the horrors of what could lie ahead.

\---

Ghoul finally felt life in him again. It had been a rough two weeks, but he took the advice of the team and tried to dry out. “Tried” being the key word. They didn’t know about the booze he had stashed in his room, or that he was still nipping from it. But he resolved not to let them see, nor drink to the point of passing out again. The less they knew about it, the better. He had gotten what he wanted: after all, they were clearly paying attention to him now.

He headed out of his room and knocked on Kobra’s door, frowning when he found his room empty. Trudging through the hotel, he peeked in every doorway, hoping to see someone else. He stopped in his tracks when he ran into Poison. “How’s it going, Red?” Ghoul said, his voice weaker than he had hoped.

“All right,” Poison said. “Jet, Timid, and Kobra are out doing a few runs. Revenge and I are trying to get this insulation going. It’s good to see you’re up and walking around.” There was no emotion in his voice, and it made the hair on the back of Ghoul’s neck stand on end.

“Yeah, it’s good to be back I guess.” Ghoul swallowed thickly. “Anything else going on I need to know about?” He kicked at nothing on the floor.

Poison looked at him before blinking in surprise. “Not really,” he said. “We’ve been trying to find a backup base not too far out, just in case we can’t return here for some reason.”

Ghoul nodded. “That’s probably for the best anyway,” he said. “I’ll take the bike out and see what I can find. Might as well get back to work.” He rushed to pass his friend as quickly as he could.

“Ghoul!” Poison called, rushing to stop him before he got away. “Just make sure you take it easy. I wouldn’t want you getting hurt because you’re not really up to going out.”

Ghoul let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “It’s nice of you to think of me, but really, I’m fine. I got this.” He patted his shoulder weakly.

Poison nodded and watched him leave with sad eyes. His gaze dropped to his feet and he let out a long exhale. “Don’t get yourself killed,” he muttered when Ghoul was out of earshot.

Ghoul darted to the bike as fast as he could load up supplies. He hopped on as fast as he could and took off without a look back at the hotel. With the wind whipping past his face, he finally started to feel more at peace. It wasn’t unbearably hot, a sure sign that fall would be here before they knew it. The changing of seasons made him anxious in the best way. Now they had more purpose besides sitting around and babysitting Poison’s love interest.

The structures he found nearby were vacant, but nothing big enough to house all of them without raising suspicion. As he drove, he became aware of how closely he kept his gun to his side. Occasionally he thought he saw blurs of white behind bushes and rocks. He shook his head, trying to lose the thoughts. Ghoul exhale and closed his eyes for a moment. It was all it took for his bike to start acting up. Swearing, he dismounted the bike. Pieces of a cactus were jammed in the machinery.

Using the barrel of his gun, he unwedged the cactus from the bike. It would take more work when he got back, but at least it would give him something to work on for the rest of the day. Suddenly the spikes pricked his forearm. He swore as he brushed the spines off of his skin. Shaking his head, he kicked the side of his bike. He would have to head back from here. If Kobra caught him driving around with an open wound, he’d never hear the end of it.


	42. Memento Mori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jet discovers more of Ghoul's reckless behavior. While Kobra and Timid bond, much to Jet's dislike. The pressure forming around them erupts and Kobra takes his anger out in a way he won't ever be able to take back.

By the time Ghoul pulled back up to the hotel, blood was pooling in the crook of his elbow. He groaned when he saw the Trans Am parked in front of the hotel, knowing that he would have to face Kobra. He trudged inside with his head hung low, hoping he could sneak past everyone.

“Ghoul!” He heard Jet’s voice and cringed.

“What’s up?” he said, hating that his voice was shaking. “Do you need me?”

“Yeah, we found some heavy Drac movement and some old bikes. Thought you could fix them up!”

A smile tugged at his face. “Now that’s the best news I’ve heard in weeks!” he said. He hurried over, but his face fell when he saw the look on Jet’s face.

“What happened?” Jet said weakly.

“Don’t tell,” Ghoul managed, his face draining of color.

Jet pulled him aside. “Did you do this to yourself?” he said. “If you did, I need to know.”

“What kind of question is that?” Ghoul said. “Of course I didn’t! I ran over a fucking cactus and it got stuck in the bike. It was all I could do to wedge the damn thing out!”

“Okay, okay.” Jet raised his hands. “I just had to ask, all right? The heat can get to you out there, so I worry about all of us.” Jet rolled up Ghoul’s sleeve, cringing at the blood. “Let’s get this cleaned up.”

Ghoul huffed, but followed Jet out of the room. When his wound as cleaned and wrapped, Ghoul patted his arm. “Thanks, man,” he said. “And thanks for, you know, keeping it between us.”

“I’m glad you’re all right,” Jet said. “That’s what it really comes down to.” He shifted his weight back onto his feet and smiled. “Come on, let’s go see about those bikes, then?’

Ghoul nodded and followed, but stopped when he saw everyone gathered around and talking. “What’s going on?” he said.

“Where did you two get off to?” Timid called with a warm smile, clearly in a good mood after being out all day.

“I just needed Ghoul to look over one of the radios I found,” Jet lied quickly. “Wanted to see if it was salvageable, but it doesn’t look like it. Goddamn waste of parts.”

Ghoul nodded. “It’s nothing I can’t try to tinker with later,” he said. “Maybe you can help me out?”

“Wow, sweet!” Timid said. “That’s beyond shiny.” She beamed before helping Kobra carry in the rest of the supplies from their run. When the goods were unloaded, Kobra grunted and got back to his feet. “Not too bad, considering how long we were out.” He smiled at Timid.

“Yeah, I’m beyond happy with this one.” She ran her hands through some of the goods and pulled out a decent-sized hunting knife. “I bet I can use this to help skin some catches. I can’t wait to go out hunting again.”

Kobra smiled. “That’s going to be a great way to bring in more food,” he said. “Maybe we will be able to pull out of this okay.”

“Is D going to be up to keeping up these broadcasts like this?” she said, her eyes darting toward the radio where D’s voice was pouring out. “I mean, shouldn’t he be in recovery longer? I feel like I spent more time in it then he did.”

“That’s because you have,” Kobra said. “But as a figurehead, he has to come off this way. If Better Living got a whiff of any weakness, especially from him, I’m sure they’d do everything they could to exploit it. I know they want us captured, but I don’t doubt they’d take the time to make sure he was dead. Even if it meant losing the possible intel.” He grimaced.

She swallowed thickly. “What if he actually does die from this?” she said. “Like if he doesn’t allow himself any time to recover or anything?”

He frowned and shook his head. “I don’t want to know what they’d do at that point. Can we leave it at D being immortal and cross that bridge when we get to it?” He tried to smile, but his good mood had disappeared.

She frowned. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bury our heads in the sand,” she said. “Least of all in our situation.”

He gently patted her shoulder. “You’re right,” he said. “I guess I’m just not really in the mood to be thinking that far ahead for a while.”

She nodded and decided to drop it. “Come on, let’s go see if the guys have figured anything out while we were gone,” she said. But she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in her stomach as they left the kitchen.

“Great job today, guys!” Poison called before clapping Jet on the back. “This is one hell of a score for us.” He pulled out the blueprints he’d sketched. “I’m hoping we can spend the next month really fortifying out defenses for the colder months. That way we won’t have to worry about it until after it’s passed. Then we can keep repairs going again through spring and summer.”

“So you’re set on settling down here, then?” Jet said, skepticism in his eyes.

“I didn’t say that.” Poison chuckled. “Though you’re right about needing a backup location. So I’m working on getting in contact with D about another diner not too far between Zone Three and Four. I’m hoping we can keep a better eye on Drac activity there and maintain both bases in case we need to flee in either direction.”

Jet smiled. “Now that’s thinking ahead! How are we going to take care of both?”

“Well, I’m hoping we can move a good portion of our supplies there and keep it as a form of storage. Have the group stay there when we’re running toward the inner Zones. I’m hoping it’ll allow us to create space on a personal level as well, without having everyone just go out and fuck off on their own.”

“So we’re waiting on D to see if this place is stable, or…” Ghoul said.

“Pretty much,” Poison said. “I know he’s been backed up with coming back on the air on top of everything else. So I’m not sure when he can get back to us.”

“Why don’t I—I mean Kobra and I go check the place out tomorrow?” Ghoul said. “I can spend the night fixing up the bikes, then we can use it as a test run. And we can get it cleared faster when we’re not waiting on D. It’ll also take the worry off him on having to check out another base when he could be focusing on monitoring the waves.”

Poison looked to his brother. “Are you up for that?” said.

“I don’t see why not,” Kobra said and scratched at his chin. “It’s only a few hours early, and Timid can stay behind and get some traps set out there. And from the looks of it, it’ll take plenty of time to get the hotel started. So yeah, I guess that works.”

“Awesome.” Ghoul grinned and clapped his hands. “I’ll head out to see what I can fix up. I’ll see you in the morning.” He clicked his tongue and pointed at Kobra before heading out the front doors.

Poison chuckled at Ghoul’s reaction and shook his head. “We’ll see what supplies you’ll need,” he said. “It could be a few days, and I don’t want you guys running out of provisions, so take whatever you need. Timid, I expect you to replenish what they take in the next few days. Don’t let me down.”

“What do you want me on, then?” Jet said with tired eyes.

“Go with Timid, then hurry back. I’ll need your help for some of the repairs on this building. I’m going to try to reach D and Pony, so I’ll also need you to keep an eye on Revenge.” His voice dropped at the last sentence. He hating to ask his friend to do this, but he wouldn’t be able to run without knowing she was safe.

Jet nodded a bit grimly, then draped his arm around Timid and led her out of the room. “So we’re setting trap tomorrow?” he said.

Timid laughed. They were so in sync: the way they walked, the way their bodies leaned, it was all so easy. “Yeah, it shouldn’t be too crazy,” she said. “Well, I hope not.”

“I’m sure we can at least get a few of them set up tomorrow.” He winked. “I wouldn’t mind taking some time off to just watch the stars with you at night, though.”

Her entire face lit up. “I guess we’ll just have to really pay attention and make sure we get all of the traps set up!” she said.

Jet snickered. “I bet Poison likes it when you work this hard.” He walked up to their room and opened the door for her, gently prodding her nose before she passed. “You’re too good at being a Killjoy, missy.”

Timid rolled her eyes and slipped off her vest. “If you say so,” she said. “I still can’t believe I’m hanging out with you guys.” She shook her head. “I gotta say, it’s disillusioning.”

He snorted. “Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. Everyone makes you out to be so cool, but you’re just a bunch of dorks.” She chuckled and tugged off her boots, stopping to rub her aching feet. “It’s kind of cool, getting to know this other side of you that no one else really knows about, you know?”

“I think every relationship has some of that,” Jet said. He sat behind her, gently rubbing her back. “Maybe this one has more than average, but it’s all about getting to know each other.” he inhaled her scent before pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck, then behind her ear.

Timid let out a tiny giggle and shivered, closing her eyes. “That feels good,” she whispered and groped for his hand, taking it loosely and kissing his fingers.

“Good,” he breathed and moved closer, kissing her skin over and over. He closed his eyes tightly and let himself be driven by her body. It was so natural with her that he didn’t even have to hesitate. By the time their bodies were tangled up in each other, Jet was in pure bliss. Seconds seemed to last forever and there was nowhere else he would rather be.

\---

The next morning, Timid woke up early, nearly dancing as she headed down to the lobby to make her lover a special treat. It was quiet enough that she could relax and take a breath, not having to worry about bumping into anyone or being rushed. But she nearly fell backwards when she stumbled on Kobra eating a can of Pup that he’d been saving for later.

“Oh shit! Sorry.” She covered her eyes. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

Kobra jumped and looked up. “Oh, don’t apologize,” he said. “Sorry. I just got kind of hungry and couldn’t sleep. Are you hungry?” he offered, stepping to the side so she could get to the rations.

“I wanted to surprise Jet with some breakfast,” she said. “I was thinking it would be a good way to start the day.”

Kobra couldn’t help but laugh. “How about I help you?” he said. “We can make breakfast for everyone. That way, we can start everyone’s day off right.”

Timid grinned. “Fuck yes!” she said. “That would be so awesome! Let’s do it!”

He laughed, then started heating up one of the skillets. Before long, the smell of food woke everyone up. Everyone crammed into the kitchen as Timid added the finishing touches to the dish.

“Okay everyone, dig in!” Kobra said as he dished out the bowls.

Ghoul dug into his food. “This is amazing,” he said as he scarfed it down. “You guys gotta cook more!”

Timid laughed, her face lighting up. “Anytime you guys are up for it!” she said. “I’ll get as many kills tonight as possible. Then we can have a real feast!”

Kobra nodded, but his face fell when he noticed Jet picking at his food. “You okay there, buddy?” he said.

“I’m fine,” Jet hissed. He stood up, leaving his half-eaten food on the counter. All eyes snapped toward him and the room fell deathly silent.

“Jet?” Timid said. “What’s wrong?”

“Peachy,” he snorted at her, nearly sneering. “I’m going to my room. I’ll go out with Ghoul today.” He huffed and stormed out of the kitchen.

“W-wait!” Timid said. “Jet?” She darted after him, tears forming in her eyes. “What did I do wrong?” She didn’t realize how hard she was shaking until she darted up the stairs, clutching the support rail.

“I said I’m fine!” Jet snarled down the stairs, not looking at her until he reached the door. “Why don’t you go spend the rest of the day with Kobra if you’re so happy to sneak around with him?” His voice was barely louder than a whisper, but the look on her face told him he got his point across. He turned and slammed the door. The hinges whined in protest.

Timid stared at the door, dumbfounded. Then she sank to her knees and let the tears flow freely down her face, not even bothering to wipe them away. Everyone gathered around the foot of the stairs. Revenge was the first to step forward.

“Hey, Timid, it—it’s going to be all right,” she whispered, carefully taking a step forward.

Timid’s head turned like a shot. “What would you know about things being all right?” she said. “You sit up here like some fucking queen, while the rest of us break our backs to keep this operation going!” Hot tears stung her eyes. “Just because you hole up in your room and give Poison head doesn’t make you apart of this team! You’re nothing!”

“Timid—”

“Nothing!” she screamed. “You hear me?”

“Timid!” Poison roared. “Go on your hunt. Take Kobra.”

She scoffed and stormed past him. Kobra came up behind her and swallowed thickly. “Timid, I’m sorry—” he started, but was cut off when she raised a hand.

“Just don’t, all right?” she said, her eyes swollen. “I don’t know where he got that idea, and—” She choked. “It’s not fucking okay.”

She turned and stormed out of the building, letting her body go on autopilot. Kobra followed her with careful eyes, making sure to stay a few steps behind.

“That fucking bitch!” Timid screamed and kicked a rock, sending it flying over the sands. “Who the fuck does she think she is, butting into my life like that? She doesn’t even talk to me, doesn’t know me! Who the hell gave her the right to try and tell me it would work out?”

Kobra swallowed. “I think she was just trying to help out,” he said.

“Don’t defend her! You of all people have to be sick of what’s she’s done, how everything changed. I’ve seen it just since I’ve been here! Aren’t you fucking pissed that she stole your brother from you?”

Kobra’s face lost its color. “Listen, this isn’t about that, it’s about you and Jet—”

“Yes! It is, though! Their relationship puts stress on all of us. When he’s not running or he’s distracted, it screws up our hard work! She won’t even apologize for it! She doesn’t care about this team or anyone in it—hell, I bet she doesn’t even love him! I bet she’s just using him for a place to stay!”

Kobra opened his mouth, then closed it again. For so long, his brother had been slacking off, and he knew it. But he didn’t know it was obvious to Timid as well. Who else outside the original Four saw it? D? Pony? Even Tommy? He exhaled and closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts together.

“I don’t like her, all right?” he said. “But this isn’t the time or place to handle this. Let’s just focus on getting these traps set and try to bring back as many kills as we can. We can take care of it when we get home tonight.”

Timid nodded, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned around, then headed back to their mission. Kobra had been good to her as long as she had known him. She would have to trust that he had a plan, and a way of making things better. After all, he wouldn’t say something if he didn’t mean it, right?

\---

By the time they had returned to the hotel, only Poison’s car remained. Kobra exhaled, figuring that Ghoul and Jet must have taken the bikes out. His body was sore and his head was clouded by worry. He tried to smile at Timid as they went in, but the gesture felt hollow. “You good to clean all of this?” he said.

She nodded and began to work. “Don’t forget what you told me,” she said as she cut open a lizard.

Kobra nodded and swallowed, hoping his anxiety would go down with what little saliva he had in his mouth. “I won’t,” he said and started for his brother’s room. As he walked to the staircase, his anger increased. How could his brother, his best friend, be so stupid and blind? She was like the perfect distraction for their team.

Kobra paused at the top of the staircase, his heart thudding in his chest. Was that what she was? Did Better Living send her to interfere with the group dynamic? His head started to throb. Did they let some kind of genetically modified creature into their midst just so she could bring them all to ruin? He felt foolish for suspecting Timid of being soft on Better Living, when the answer was right in front of him.

His heart started to beat faster as he came to his brother’s room. How easily they fell for the damsel-in-distress routine. He opened the door, his eyes flashing. How easily they fell for the old I don’t remember anything come and save me bullshit. They took the bait and now were on Better Living’s hook. He pulled his gun out and aimed it for the mop of violet hair. He had to make this quick, and make it count.

—

Revenge’s face was swollen. After checking on D, Poison had rushed back to come and check on her. He clutched her shaking form, wishing he could have brought her with him.

“You’re going to be all right,” he said and pressed his lips to her hairline. “I promise.”

“I was just trying to help!” Revenge said through her tears. “I don’t know, I just thought maybe if I reached out, she’d know she could rely on us too, not just Jet!”

“I’m proud of you, you know that?” Poison said. “You’ve grown so much, and just because they can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.” He rocked her slowly in her arms. “I’m not going to let you go. I’m here for you.”

She settled into his lap and relaxed against his body. She gripped his jacket tightly while his hair formed a curtain that kept them safe from the rest of the world. When the door slammed open, she jumped and yelped. “W-what?” she said.

Poison’s head shot up. He relaxed for a moment, then tensed up again, seeing that Kobra had his gun out “Kid, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he said.

“Get away from that thing, Poison!” Kobra said. “It’s just something Better Living planted to make our lives hell!”

“Kid, what the fuck has gotten into you?” Poison said, gripping Revenge tightly. “Are you on pills or some shit?” His mind raced as his eyes settled on the gun. “For the love of God, put that thing away. I’m your leader, fucking do as I say.”

Kobra let out an unhinged laugh. “You don’t see it, do you?” he said. “That thing probably isn’t even real! It’s like a sex robot or some genetically mutated creature they made to get to you! And you call yourself a Killjoy, falling for all their tricks!”

Revenge let out a small, shaky noises. Poison clutched her tightly. “I’m telling you, you’re wrong! Just put the gun down and we can talk about this!”

Kobra let out another laugh. “No,” he said. He pulled the trigger, his eyes lighting up when her smoking form fell to his brother’s feet.


	43. Ghosts of our Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kobra makes a choice he cannot take back and the team is forced to hold him off. A long lost voice calls through the waves cutting everyone apart. When Ghoul makes a run for it, no one knows what it would lead to.

Poison was shaking. The noise he made was unhuman as he darted to her side, tears streaming from his eyes. “Why?” he cried. “Why would you do this?”

“You don’t see it?” Kobra said. “Really? You’ve changed so much there’s no way you would have fallen for this shit before.” He motioned to the woman on the ground. “It’s just some bullshit you were suckered into by Better Living! You’ve become the very thing you used to hate, soft and easy to manipulate!”

Poison sobbed out loud when he heard the sound of her drawing breath. “Oh God, she’s alive. Kobra, stop being a fuckass and help her!”

“Poison, get ahold of yourself,” he hissed. “I’m not going to save the mutt that Better Living sent to us to break us all up! It’s all her fault we’ve nearly been killed over and over, and you—you just don’t care! You care more about that thing than our safety, than me!”

“Fuck you!” Poison said. He scooped up her body and darted out of the room. “Don’t you dare fucking leave me,” he muttered as he stripped off her clothing. His hands shook as he pressed a compress to her wounds. Her blood was everywhere and it took him a good ten minutes before he realized it was all over him as well. He scrubbed at his hands, but it wouldn’t come off. He sobbed heavily as he scratched his skin. He failed to protect her in his own home. He felt like he was just run over by a truck while his team stood and watched. How could Kobra do this?

\---

When Ghoul and Jet returned to the hotel, something was off. The hotel was usually lit up and bright, but all the lights were off. They exchanged a look before heading inside. Jet’s stomach dropped when he saw Timid, but what he saw next made him feel sick. A blood-covered Kobra sat there, his face expressionless.

“This is a joke, right?” Ghoul said, weakly trying to laugh. He wished he’d had more than a few drinks. “Some prank you’re playing on us?”

“I took care of our problem,” Kobra said simply. “I made sure that freak of an experiment will never get in our way again.” Kobra ran a hand through his hair, flecks of dried blood falling off.

“What are you talking about?” Jet said. “Tell us what’s going on right now!”

That’s when the laughter started. “I shot the shit out of her,” he said. “For ruining my brother and trying to take you all away.” When he wasn’t applauded, his face fell. “You should all be happy!” he said. “Ghoul, you wanted Jet and Poison to see you again. And Timid, you hated how she was treated like a fucking princess around the diner. Her being here put extra stress on you, Jet. That has to be why you’re seeing a connection between Timid and I that was never there! She literally caused all of this!”

“That doesn’t mean you had to try to kill her!” Ghoul said, his face draining of what little color he had left. “Kobra, what the ever loving fuck? What would Harley think of you acting like this?”

“Does it really matter now?” he said. “She’s gone, dead! Better Living took her from me, and now they tried to take our team. If they thought they could send some pornodroid here to distract us, well—I fucking showed them!”

“Where’s your brother?” Jet demanded. “Answer me, Kid!”

“Probably locked away with that mutant’s corpse.” He laughed, but his face fell when Jet lunged at him to restrain him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he said.

“You’re out of control!” Jet said. “Come on, Ghoul, help me! Timid, I need your help.”

She hesitated, but grabbed the cuffs they kept in case they needed to take a Draculoid hostage. It felt wrong putting them on her friend. If she hadn’t gone off today, none of this would have happened. “Done,” she said when the metal clicked into place. She nearly fell backward when Kobra started thrashing about.

“What the fuck is wrong with you guys?” he said, squirming and kicking his legs. “I’m protecting you from a Better Living experiment! That’s not a person, it’s just a mutated freak or a bot! You have to believe me.”

Jet grabbed another lock and chained him to a chair. “Kobra, I just need you to sit here,” he said, his voice shaking. “I won’t fight you or cause a fuss, but let’s just take a little bit of a time out. Ghoul, I need you and Timid to go check on Poison and see if they hid up there.”

Ghoul nodded. “Come on.” He motioned for Timid to follow, rushing up the stairs as fast as his feet would carry him. When he tried to open the door, it was locked. “Poison, it’s us!” he said. “We found out what happened and tied Kobra up! Open up!”

There was no sound from the other side. Ghoul looked at Timid. “Do you think he took off and snuck out?” he said.

“I sure as hell hope not,” she said. “We should—” She stopped when she heard a scraping sound behind the door. “Poison, it’s us,” she said. “Timid and Ghoul. Are you in there?”

“Yeah—” There was a strained voice and more scraping. “Just give me a moment. I set up a barricade back here and I’m trying to—ugh—got it!” Poison swung the door open. He was shaking and covered in blood, tears streaking through the blood on his face. “Help,” he begged.

Timid and Ghoul darted inside. Revenge was doubled over in pain. The blood was slowing, but it hadn’t stopped. Timid checked her bandages. When Revenge grunted, she stepped back. “We’re going to help you get through this,” she said to Revenge. More guilt flooded her mind.

“You’re a mess, dude,” Ghoul said. “Just clean up and we can stand guard.”

“No, man, I gotta…she needs me. I gotta be here,” he choked out. “What if she died and I wasn’t here? I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

Ghoul’s mouth twisted as he tried to think of a solution. “Timid, can you go and get some water for Poison so he can clean himself up?” he said.

Timid hesitated and looked at Revenge with sad eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered before darting downstairs.

As soon as she was gone, Ghoul moved over to his friend and gently took his arm. “Come on, man, let’s get you out of those clothes,” he said helping peel off his jacket. When Timid came back, Ghoul nodded to her. “I’ll take it from here, just go check on Jet,” he said.

“Sure thing,” she said and headed out. She didn’t really want to see Jet right now, but she didn’t want to see Poison naked, either.

Ghoul helped get Poison down to his undergarments. “I’ll wash these for you,” he said, then turned his back to give him some privacy.

“Thank you,” Poison mumbled after a few minutes. “I know I’ve been hard on you lately and it means a lot that you’re still helping me out.” His voice fell. “I was really getting worried that things would never be okay between us again.”

Ghoul sighed weakly and twisted Poison’s tank top to drain the water. “The truth is, I was mad, and I was jealous of her,” he said. “I was jealous of Timid, too. I was acting petty as all-shit because I felt like you guys didn’t care.” He smiled ruefully. “I guess none of that really matters, though.”

“Of course it does, why didn’t you tell me?” Poison said, looking at his back with sad eyes. “I didn’t know that’s really how you felt. I wish I could have talked to you about it.”

“Sometimes, man, you just get so intense about it,” Ghoul said. “There’s no talking to you. And I didn’t think it would end well if I did. I figured you would have kicked me out for speaking against you.”

“This isn’t a dictatorship, Ghoul,” he said, taking his shirt when it was offered. “You can express whatever you want, and as long as it’s not hurtful to the team, I’m not going to do anything. I might disagree and call you a dumbass, but I would never dream of kicking you out for something like that.”

Tears stung Ghoul’s eyes. “I know,” he said quietly. “It’s just nice to hear it sometimes. It’s hard being on the outside looking in, and I know you know that. But still, I was being a dumbass anyway. I could have gotten myself killed, or worse, gotten one of you guys killed because I couldn’t man up and talk to you.” He shook his head and tossed Poison his jacket. “I’m sorry, dude. And I’m so sorry this happened this way.” He looked at Revenge sadly. “And I’m sorry to you, too. Even if you can’t hear me, I was being petty as shit.”

Poison clapped him on the back, his hands now free of dried blood. “Listen, I can’t thank you enough for being here, for me and for her. It really says a lot about you.” He embraced Ghoul for a moment. “No one could ever replace you, dude,” he said.

Ghoul nodded and stood up. “Let me get Timid and Jet,” he said. “We can take shifts keeping an eye on you guys in here and keeping an eye on Kobra.”

“What did you guys do with him?” he said, anger rising up in his chest.

“We subdued him and tied him down until he can think clearly. He’s not himself, and I know that probably means next to nothing to you right now, but just keep it in mind while we go through all of this.” He clapped Poison on the back before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Ghoul headed downstairs, looking for the other two. He heard them arguing before he saw them. Timid was crying and screaming and Jet was screaming back. “Can both of you shut up?” Ghoul said. “You two love each other. Jet, you’re being paranoid as shit, Kobra is still so far up Harley’s ass he wouldn’t even see Timid. Just take a breath and try to talk to each other.”

“I just hate the way you prefer him to me,” Jet said finally. “I get it, he’s good-looking and smart and he’s the doctor. Those are things I could just never be.”

Timid looked to him with confused eyes. “What are you talking about, Jet Star?” she said. “You’re handsome and smart and funny. And I like you exactly as you are! I wouldn’t want to date a doctor, and Kobra is also a clean freak. You know how filthy I am!” She tried to joke, but her face fell suddenly. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make fun.”

But Jet laughed. “You have a point there,” he said. His face grew serious again. “It has less to do with you and more to do with an ex of mine who just…used me to get in good with the group. I know that isn’t you, and it’s not fair that you be held to those wounds, but...”

“But what, Jet?” she said. “I’m going to be? Of course I am, just like you’re held to certain standards because of my exes. But please believe me when I say that I have no interest in anyone else but you. I love you, Jet—not for your name or your group, but because of who you are, and no one else could do that.”

He blinked, then embraced her without another word. He closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair, letting out a deep, shaky sigh. “I’m sorry, Timid,” he said. “I love you, too.” He smiled when she wrapped her arms around him.

Ghoul looked at the pair and chuckled to himself. He headed to give them two some privacy and went to check on Kobra. Fury was still etched into Kobra’s face. Ghoul just sighed and sat next to him. “Man, you gotta believe me when I tell you she’s not a Better Living experiment,” he said.

“Then she’s a mole, a double agent!” Kobra said. “A traitor! I know she is!” He looked down sadly, desperate for anyone to believe him. “You have to trust me. I wouldn’t lie about something like this!”

“I don’t think you’re lying,” Ghoul said. “I think you truly do believe what you’re saying, and that’s why I’m so concerned for you.”

Ghoul jumped when the radio crackled to life. He lost what little color he had regained when he heard the mangled sounds of a distress call from an oddly familiar voice. “Jet!” Ghoul called, his heart pounding in his chest. “Goddammit, Jet get, in here!”

Jet came rushing out. “What’s wrong?” he said, looking around to see a pale and sick-looking Kobra. “What happened?”

“I’m going out,” Ghoul said and grabbed the car keys off a desk. “I’ll be back. Stay on the waves for me!” He ran outside before Jet could ask what happened.

Jet rushed to Kobra’s side. Kobra looked worse by the second until he leaned forward and vomited. Jet frowned and felt his forehead. He wasn’t running a fever. “Kobra, man, talk to me,” he said. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Timid rushed out to get some water for Kobra. By the time she returned, he was in tears and shaking. “Kobra!” she said. “We’re here for you, man. Just tell us what happened.”

“It just can’t be,” Kobra wheezed, tears streaming down his face. “It’s impossible. I know it is.”

\---

Ghoul’s eyes were set on the horizon. His mind was racing, trying to remember the coordinates. But that voice, that damned voice. It didn’t matter how mad he was with Kobra right now or how he felt toward the person he thought it was. Hell, this could be a trap that Better Living had made for them. He gritted his teeth and sped up on the accelerator. It wouldn’t be the first time they had used emotions against them like this—but no, he had to stop thinking like that. If there were a chance that this was real, he would hate himself if he never took it.

Ghoul gripped the wheel more tightly. The what if’s were piling up and it was getting harder to breathe. He shook his head. Finally, he found what he was looking for: an underground bunker barely visible from the outside, aside from a few large, conveniently-placed rocks. He stepped out of the car with his hand on his gun, suddenly wishing he had back-up. But he shook the thoughts away. He was here now and there wasn’t another choice. He had to keep moving forward.

Putting his weight against the rocks, he was shocked to see how easily he could move them. They must have been hollowed out inside for a better disguise. There was a metal panel below. While his specialty was vehicles, he still knew a thing or two about how to break into a “secure” location. After working for what felt like hours on the bolts, the panel popped up, revealing the trapdoor.

Ghoul pocked his tools and reached for his gun again. He swallowed his fears and headed inside. With each step, he felt like he was getting less and less air, like someone was stepping on his throat. When he reached the bottom step, lights filled the hallway, illuminating his passage. He followed the tunnel, peering through the glass doors. Most of the rooms were bare. Some had chairs and surgical tools, while others just had blood.

Peering through one of the doors, he saw a corpse. Filthy skin hung off a skeletal frame. He jumped when he realized it was alive, then tugged at the door handle. With a loud thunk, the handle came off. He swung the door open and stepped inside. Her hair had been cut off and was now a dark muddy brown. She had scars along her neck and arms. Her eyes were sunken in her face. He had no idea how she was even alive, but it didn’t change the fact that she was.

“What took you so long?” she wheezed. Her voice a faint whisper, but she still had her trademark sarcastic smile.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Ghoul whispered and knelt down to scoop her up. She was as light as a feather. “Don’t worry. I’m going to get you out here, no matter what it takes. I got you, Harley.”


End file.
